Anti-Airbnb Resolution Contested in Court

The Municipality of Florence’s October 2023 resolution banning new applicants from opening Airbnbs in the historic center, a UNESCO heritage site is being hotly contested in court on December 7.

Thanks to Florence’s effective provision, new apartment and bed and breakfast registrations in the UNESCO area will no longer be possible. As it stands currently, 75% of all apartments rented by tourists in the Florence metropolitan area are located within the UNESCO area.

Anti-democratic, unpleasant, and a violation of rights; these are just some of the insults that have been levied against Florentine mayor Dario Nardella’s in his fight to curb what he describes as“hit-and-run tourism,” a term that the mayor began to use all the way back in 2021 after Italy began opening up to tourists in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, tourism has skyrocketed. According to Statista, between 2021 and 2022 tourism in Florence went up over 200%. Unsurprisingly, this climb has warranted a response from Nardella.

Some are alleging that the prohibition could violate the rights of property owners in the UNESCO area in Florence, which covers the core of the city, including its center and most renowned sites. The area extends up to 532 ha (5.32 square kilometers or 2.05 square miles), encompassing more land than the entirety of Monaco and Vatican City, two of the smallest countries, combined. Being a UNESCO site does not disallow private property, as the site is home to private, religious, and public ownership. Instead, the significance of a UNESCO area is that the zone is meant to be preserved and protected as one of the most important cultural sites in the world. The question this designation raises is whether or not Nardella’s move to end new apartment Airbnb registrations works to protect the site or is simply irrelevant. In September Nardella proclaimed the importance of defending “the historical-artistic identity of the historic center.”

Two appeals were filed in court by lawyer Riccardo Tagliaferri, with four more having been filed at the administrative court. According to Tagliaferri, the Municipality is violating the rights of property owners and managers. ”

The real estate agency Apartments Florence is collaborating with Property Managers Italia and 30 other representatives to try and appeal the provision which they call an “an anti-democratic action of the Municipality of Florence.” CEO of Apartments Florence and President of the Property Managers Italia association, Lorenzo Fagnoni, pointed out the importance of the amount of revenue the short-term rental industry brings to the state. Fagnoni spoke of the discouragingly high increase in tax rates on the industry, labeling the tax hike excessive while expressing satisfaction with the National Identification Code. Lawyers predict that a decision will be made by December 7 when the judges of the Administrative Court of Tuscany will reach a conclusion and whether or not to suspend the resolution.  (Daniel J. Capobianco)