City of Florence, Italy. Travel Pulse
Florence is taking action against overtourism by banning self-check-in keyboxes from vacation rentals. Property owners must remove them by February 25. This move aims to reduce tourism’s impact on the historic city and improve security.
Keyboxes, commonly used for short-term rentals, let guests check in without meeting the host. While convenient, they have sparked complaints about security risks and their negative effect on the city’s appearance.
Florence’s Mayor, Sara Funaro, stressed that the ban would be strictly enforced. "Next week, we will go...to check where the ban on keyboxes is not respected, and then we will remove them," she said in a television interview. Property owners who ignore the rule could face fines of up to 400 euros ($417.20).
Other Italian cities like Rome and Venice have also taken steps to regulate tourism. Locals worry about rising housing costs, while hotels argue that short-term rentals hurt their business.
Italy’s government has introduced new nationwide rules requiring in-person guest identification for short-term stays. This regulation further supports Florence’s effort to curb unregulated rentals.
Massimo Torelli, from the "Let's Save Florence to Live in It" campaign, has been actively marking keyboxes for removal by painting red crosses on them. He says the devices are everywhere, including on bike racks and streetlights. "Florence is dying of uncontrolled tourism," he stated.
Torelli hopes the new policy will reduce the number of short-term rentals. Florence currently has about 15,000 such listings. He wants this number to drop to around 7,000-8,000, allowing more housing for residents.
