Airbnb has changed the way people rent in the world. This service has transformed the system and has generated moves by hoteliers seeking to limit its use as they consider it unfair competition. as well as in Uruguay A bill is being studied that seeks to regulate this type of rental in these accommodations, other countries in the world have also regulated it. What are they and what measures did they take?
In France, according to a Euronews report, Parisians who want to rent their main house or apartment must register with the municipality. And in turn the limit to rent it is a maximum 120 days a year. For those who have a second home, they must register it as tourist accommodation.
For his part, in berlinyou can rent a maximum of 90 days a year, while in Munich they are a maximum of eight weeks.
On the other hand, in Italy, different cities like Florence, Rome and Milan They are studying the restrictions that they will place on this type of rental.
In Amsterdam, hosts can only rent their houses for a maximum of 30 nights per year. In Portugal licenses have ceased to be issued for this type of rental and in Barcelona You cannot rent a room for less than 31 days.
In Londonthe owners can only rent it during 90 nights or less per year.
Uruguay and its discussion about Airbnb
A group of hosts showed up days ago at the Committee on Industry, Energy, Commerce, Tourism and Services of the Chamber of Senators to defend the activity they carry out.
One of the spokesmen was Hannibal Lopez who explained that many of the hosts are retired and, therefore, the activity acts as a complement. “We understand that we make a very important contribution to a fundamental activity for the country, such as tourism,” she said.
The position of the hosts is that they do not compete with the hotel sector by performing another function. He maintained that they maintain a affective and personal exchange with tourists, in addition to providing an exclusive service.
Another spokeswoman was Silvia Cobelli, also retired. She told that she owns a small apartment in Montevideo, but she decided to move to Canelones. After waiting for a while, she decided to rent the apartment through Airbnb. She reported that many people come to her home, both foreigners and Uruguayans residing abroad.
He stated that many choose to live a few weeks in an apartment because they feel more comfortable. He also commented that many professionals who rent need an invoice. “I don’t have a company, I can’t make an invoice because, in addition, I am retired. Therefore, those people present an invoice of the platform”exposed.
In the senators’ turn, the first to refer to the activity was the former Minister of Tourism, Liliam Kechichian. He indicated that there are different accommodation options that do not contradict each other but rather complement each other. “The theme is unfair competition felt by the sector, and I say it properly because I worked a lot with the Airbnb company so that it would contribute to Uruguay. It is true that you are not businessmen, but that company solves for you from the invoice to a number of other things, but what it does not do is contribute to Uruguay. ”, He affirmed.
That platform, however, has stated that it does make contributions. Therefore, Kechichian pointed out that the commission should resolve to ask the company for that information.
After the hosts, a delegation from the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism (Camtur), which is in favor of regulation.
The union president, Marina Quarry, pointed out that the digital channel made it possible for the tourism sector to grow and diversify, especially in the accommodation segment. “Without a doubt, the formal economy has grown, but also the informal one. That informal economy is the one that we are seeing grow today at a rate that is truly deafening for the tourism sector, ”he said.
Cantera said that it is necessary to regulate commercial accommodation. “We are talking about someone who begins to use a property regularly, with professionalism and in search of an income for his family, which is valid. But If a commercial venture is started, it must be protected by obligations and rights that correspond to any trade”, he concluded.
