EXPLAINED: How Florence has changed its rules on tourist lets in 2025

Local Italy

5 days ago

New rules clamping down on Airbnb and other short-term tourist rentals came into force in Florence on May 31st after being approved by city authorities earlier that month.
The new regulations introduced a highly controversial ban on new tourist rentals in Florence's UNESCO-protected historic centre (centro storico).
This is a measure that the city council first attempted to pass two years ago, but was later suspended due to staunch opposition from landlords and a spate of legal challenges.
The current ban, which aims to curb the rising number of long-term rentals in central Florence amid a chronic housing crisis, only applies to new lets, thus excluding existing facilities.
The May 31st rules also give city authorities powers to extend the ban on new tourist rentals beyond the UNESCO-protected city centre at a later date should they deem it necessary.
Five-year rental permits
Under the new rules, owners looking to rent out their properties to tourists must also apply for and receive a permit (autorizzazione) before they can start renting – though there is an exception.
Owners who legally rented out their properties in 2024 are exempted from permit requirements for three years (until the end of 2027).
Permits have a five-year validity period and are tied to the property, meaning they become void in the event of a sale.
Properties that aren't rented out to tourists over a 12-month period automatically lose their permits, unless they are rented under longer, non-tourist contracts, for at least 30 days at a time.
Minimum property size and safety requirements
Florence's new rules on tourist rentals also set out minimum spatial requirements.
Properties must be at least 28 square metres in size, with bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens also subject to minimum requirements. You can find further details here (page 4).
Besides size-related regulations, tourist lets must also comply with a series of safety provisions, including the installation of carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers (a minimum of one every 200 square metres of floor area).
Other requirements for owners
Under the new rules, owners of tourist rentals must provide multilingual instructions, bags and bins for waste sorting, as well as a guide on how to behave in the building, on local public transport, and in the city centre.
There's also an additional requirement for owners to clearly display useful emergency numbers (police, ambulance, fire service, etc.) within the property.
City-wide 'key box ban' and National Identification Code (CIN)
These two measures came into force prior to the implementation of the rules approved in May – but still apply.
As of February 25th, owners of holiday rentals in Florence are no longer allowed to use 'key boxes' (combination-protected lock boxes containing the keys to a property) to allow guests to check into their accommodation remotely.
The city-wide measure aims to protect Florence's 'urban decorum' and its 'historical and architectural heritage' while also responding to 'public safety concerns related to the need to identify guests [...] in person,' according to city authorities.
Besides a ban on the use of key boxes, owners of tourist rentals in Florence are also subject to the Italy-wide requirement to hold a National Identification Code (CIN).
The CIN – a personal identification code tying a property to its owner – was introduced by Giorgia Meloni's government in September last year in a bid to tackle tax evasion.
All owners of holiday rentals in Italy are required to have their own CIN code and must display it on their property's front door or doorbell so as to make it clearly visible from the outside.
The code must also be included on any online or social media listing, including on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.
What happens next?
The new regulations, which are intended to curb the rapidly expanding number of holiday lets across the city and make more homes available for locals amid a severe housing crisis, have been met with anger by property owners and holiday rental managers in the Tuscan capital.
Lorenzo Fagnoni, president of Property Managers Italia and CEO of Apartments Florence, called the crackdown on tourist rentals 'illogical and discriminatory', vowing to oppose it 'with every possible legal instrument."
Tuscan regional councillor Marco Stella said that property owners' associations would file an appeal with the Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR), warning of incoming 'legal chaos'.
Though there is currently no available information on when Tuscany's TAR may rule on the matter, a decision backing owners' appeal may lead to the suspension or even repeal of the tourist let regulations.
For the time being, however, the rules are set to remain in place, with individuals found to be illegally letting their properties facing fines of between €1,000 and €10,000.