Self-check-in banned for Italian holiday rentals

Tourists in Italy will no longer be able to access short-term rentals using key boxes after the country's police chief said owners must verify the identity of guests in person.

The move has been brought in as a security measure and follows a similar step being taken in Florence.

The increasing popularity of short-term rentals in recent years has been accompanied by the widespread use of key boxes and other methods to allow guests to check in remotely and access properties without ever meeting the hosts.

For some, the boxes have become symbols of overtourism and they have also prompted complaints over their visual impact.

Police Chief Vittorio Pisani told journalists the need had arisen to "implement stringent measures" aimed at preventing risks from "the possible housing of dangerous persons and/or persons linked to criminal or terrorist organisations".

In a circular to local prefectures, he said that in a "delicate historical moment at an international level" his office "confirms the obligation imposed on the managers of accommodation facilities of any kind or type to verify the identity of guests by means of a visual check".

Pisani said the order was issued in light of the "intensification of the phenomenon of so-called 'short-term rentals'" as well as "the numerous political, cultural and religious events being planned", including the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee celebrations.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri yesterday welcomed the order, which first came from the Interior Ministry, saying it would mean "more effective controls on access, and a first brake on unfair competition".