On a trip to Paris this spring we had some issues renting a flat due to recent legislation cracking down on holiday rentals (HomeAway, AirBnB, etc). I've since learned it is imperative to only rent a flat in Paris that has a 13 digit registration number posted on the listing (of any site, even booking.com). It's been a few years since we have stayed in Rome, are they also cracking down on holiday rentals? Anything I should look for while searching for a flat for later this year? Thanks
Don't believe there are any issues like that in Rome
Airbnb has had some battles in other cities beside Paris (Berlin, Barcelona) but have never heard Rome mentioned.
Issue may be "black money" tax avoidance by a host. As long as the rental goes through AirBnB and AirBnb remits proper tax payments, you should be legal. If the host wants cash, there is a risk of the money going black.
New Italian tax laws allow landlords to pay a 21% flat tax on short term rental income in place of a higher progressive income tax. If AirBnB collects the rental fees, AirBnB would be responsible for remitting the 21% tax to the Italian Revenue Agency, take AirBnB's cut, then remit the balance to the host. That would be legal.
I am not an Airbnb expert ; but recall every time I have used it Airbnb collects all of the money.
There is no pay me when you get here option like many hotels or other websites might have in my recollection.
Thanks all for your quick responses, this will make finding a place much easier!
We are booked for an AirBnB in Rome in mid-June and I haven't gotten wind of anything sketchy.
We just booked an AirBnB in Chanti for the month of October and the booking experience was the same as always. I think, as a prior poster noted, that the crackdown may be due to people who don't use AirBnB as the rental collector (although why the renter would opt to go that way, I have no idea since your money is escrowed until you actually check in to the rental). Good luck and enjoy your time in Rome.