Italy loses latest court battle to clear Airbnb lockboxes from streets
Victory for Airbnb hosts as Italian judges scrap key box ban
- Italian judges have overturned a government ban on remote check-ins for short-term rentals, reversing a controversial measure that led to the removal of key boxes from city centres.
- The ban, enacted by the interior ministry in November, aimed to address security concerns related to check-ins for properties listed on platforms like Airbnb, where face-to-face interaction is absent.
- The Lazio administrative court annulled the directive, stating that it placed excessive burdens on landlords.
- Marco Celani, head of short-term rentals association AIGAB, welcomed the court's ruling and said his lobby was in talks with the government for the "full recognition" of remote check-in technologies.
- The interior ministry said it would wait for the court to publish the reasons for its ruling before deciding whether to appeal to a higher administrative court.