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00:00These little boxes can be found everywhere, and yet most go unnoticed.
00:05The Airbnb self-check-in lockbox allows tourists to arrive to their accommodation without meeting
00:11the host.
00:12By opening them with a digital code, guests can retrieve the keys to their holiday home,
00:16a practice that the Italian Ministry of the Interior is cracking down on, sending out
00:21a notice banning remote check-in for short-term rentals.
00:25Local property manager Carmela, who runs 130 flats, considers the decision discriminatory.
00:31You can rent a car with remote identification, you can also open a bank account or even interact
00:37with the public administration, thanks to remote identification, so if it's possible
00:42for all these sectors, we don't understand why it's banned for tourist rentals.
00:49They've been prohibited due to security concerns linked to the expansion of tourist accommodation.
00:55In Rome, over 25,000 properties are now listed on platforms such as Airbnb, which has deeply
01:01impacted the local property market.
01:06There are fewer and fewer properties available on the rental market.
01:09This is because many flats have been turned into tourist accommodation, bed and breakfast
01:14or holiday homes, and this shortage of accommodation has automatically pushed up rental prices.
01:23As a result, many families have left the city as they cannot make ends meet.
01:30Between 2019 and 2023, there were 5,000 fewer homes in Rome rented for long-term contracts.
01:38Typically, these are contracts for families or students for the entirety of their university
01:43Some local residence groups are protesting against this, calling for greater restrictions
01:52on tourist accommodation.
01:55The social fabric is disappearing in our neighbourhoods, they are losing their identity, they are being
02:01transformed into mere stopovers for tourists.
02:05An estimated 50,000 families are facing challenges gaining access to accommodation in the Italian
02:11capital.