“Lex Airbnb”: Ticino introduces the strictest rules for vacation rentals

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Thick clouds above the sun: Ticino comes into action. The southern canton imposes the strictest rules in Switzerland for booking portals such as Airbnb.

At the end of November 2022, the government decided to amend the Building Decree. The scheme, unofficially known as “Lex Airbnb”, has profound implications for hosts. It regulates the following: People who want to rent an apartment or house with less than four beds online for more than 90 days per calendar year are now considered commercial landlords.

To get a permit, the owners would have to submit a conversion application to the local community, the “NZZ” writes on Friday. There is not much time left for that: the scheme has been in force since the beginning of December 2022.

“The uncertainty is great”

The newspaper writes that it is difficult to estimate how many second residents have rented out their home in Ticino for more than 90 days. About a quarter of all overnight stays in 2021 were rented out by private individuals. Rising trend.

One thing is clear: “The uncertainty is huge at the moment,” says Oliver Keller of the “NZZ”. He is Vice President of the ACAV Ticino Vacation Rental and Vacation Rental Association. In Lugano alone, 150 people had registered as commercial landlords by early February.

Only: if you do, you risk losing value for your property. Because: It is possible that the house cannot be returned to its original state after the change of use.

Action is also being taken in other places

When it comes to the implementation of the scheme, much is still unclear, the “NZZ” writes. Some municipalities would already check compliance with the new regulation, others were still waiting.

Other cities also want Airbnb and similar service providers to get their hands on them. In the city of Lucerne, for example, apartments can only be rented out 90 days a year to people who are only in the city for a short time. In Geneva, apartments can also be rented for up to 90 days. And in the city of Bern, voters said yes to a corresponding partial revision of municipal building codes in the spring. (Okay)

Source:Blick