Florence to halt short rentals in UNESCO areas

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 1 - Florence is to stop short holiday rentals in its UNESCO areas, Mayor Dario Nardella said Thursday.
    The measure is not retro-active, he said.
    The aim is to stop Airbnb and ther holiday rental companies from hollowing out the historic centre of the cradle of the Renaissance, Nardella said, and to preserve local residence in those areas.
    The government is working on a bill to impose restrictions on the short-stay holiday rental market in Italy.
    The aim of the bill is to stop tourism being "out of proportion" with respect to the local accommodation capacity and to "safeguard the residential nature of city centres" and prevent local people being priced out of the housing market, a draft said.
    The bill would make the owners of properties used for short-stay rentals obtain a special CIN identification code.
    The owner of a property rented out without a CIN would face a fine of up to 5,000 euros, The bill would also make it obligatory for such rental agreements to be for at least two nights in big cities, except in the case of families made up of three children and at least one parent.
    Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche' has pledged to present the bill by the end of June. (ANSA).