ROME (AFP) – Italy’s police chief has ordered Airbnb-style owners to verify the identity of guests in person rather than remotely as visitor numbers surge, according to a circular seen by AFP yesterday.
The security measure follows a push back in several historic cities against rampant tourism, including a ban in hotspot Florence on key boxes used by short-term rental landlords.
The boxes allow guests to access their accommodation without meeting their hosts, and sending copies of identity documents via e-mail or message on check-in had become common practice. In a “delicate historical moment at an international level”, Police Chief Vittorio Pisani said his office “confirms the obligation imposed on the managers of accommodation facilities of any kind or type to verify the identity of guests by means of a visual check”.
Pisani said the order was issued in light of the “intensification of the phenomenon of so-called ‘short-term rentals'” such as Airbnb throughout Italy, as well as “the numerous political and cultural events being planned”. “The need has arisen to implement stringent measures aimed at preventing risks to public order and safety in relation to the possible housing of dangerous persons and/or persons linked to criminal or terrorist organisations,” the police chief said in the circular.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed the order and linked it to efforts to clamp down on short-term holiday lets, which many complain negatively impact community safety and the availability of local housing.
He said the order meant “more effective controls on access, and a first brake on unfair competition”.
