A circular issued from the Ministry of the Interior announces the requirement of in person check-in at short-term rental properties in Italy.
The decision by the Italian government to change the way properties are handed over to guests is causing upheaval for owners and short-term rental property managers. Guests staying at Airbnb-style rental properties in Italy must now meet the owners in person at check-in.
This comes after growing dissatisfaction in many popular European tourist destinations regarding the increase of Airbnb properties and the disruption this is causing to permanent residents. It has been shared far and wide in the news that this year, residents of cities including Rome, Florence and Milan vandalised lockboxes in protest of renting out properties in the short-term Airbnb market.
The Italian government have therefore banned the self check-in system, citing “risks to public order and security.”
What the ministry says
Police and local authorities have begun notifying rental platforms and property owners, according to Italian media.
The measure was introduced to “prevent risks to public order and security in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous individuals or those linked to criminal or terrorist organisations,” the Italian Interior Ministry said.
“The automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk of “it being occupied by one or more individuals whose identity remains unknown to the competent police authorities, posing a potential risk to the community,” the statement added.
The ministry said the ban was introduced in response to the “intensification of the short-term rental phenomenon” as a result of “the numerous political, cultural and religious events planned in the country,” including the 2025 Jubilee celebrations in Rome.
New Check-in Rules in Italy
Rental owners and managers in Italy will have to meet guests in person to verify ID and complete check-in procedures. Guests’ personal information and ID must be sent to police by owners within 24 hours of check-in.
Roberto Gaultieri, mayor of Rome, praised the ban as “good news for everyone” and welcomed the end of “the padlocks and boxes that disfigure our streets and prevent proper security checks.”
He added that he plans to introduce “appropriate intervention methods” to remove all such devices.
In a statement released, the association of property managers AIGAB (Associazione Italiana Gestori Affitti Brevi) stressed:
“We welcome any control against acts of illegality that harm the entire short-term rental sector. However, we believe that the Ministry of the Interior is unaware of the fact that the software used by many professional managers is designed for visitor identification technologies with biometric tracking and OTP codes similar to SPID [Public Digital Identity System], with access to car rentals and bank accounts.
“We do not believe that the government wants to put an end to the sharing economy in Italy, but introducing physical identification only for short-term rentals constitutes discrimination,” he adds.
Until now, tourists sent a photo of their passport or ID to the apartment owner. When they arrived there, they could use the code they had been given to open a small box, usually outside the apartment building, and get the keys to the rented apartment.
Since September it has been mandatory in Italy for property owners and managers to have a national identification code and to display it on their documents and registrations.
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