Airbnb is an online accommodation booking platform that allows users to find temporary or long-term accommodation in private houses, apartments, rooms and even tree houses or caravans. Precisely because of such a wide offer, control is almost impossible.
The director of the YUTA travel agency, Aleksandar Seničić, in an interview for "Vreme", reveals what kinds of fraud landlords who offer accommodation on this platform can commit.
"The law stipulates that if someone wants to rent out apartments, he must apply for it through the local self-government, in order to pay a flat tax. The majority, of course, do not do that", says Senicic.
Tax evasion that no one checks
He adds that precisely because of this, but also because of the lack of housing space and insane rent prices, many countries have banned or limited the provision of accommodation on such platforms, unless it is a question of hotels, motels and other official facilities.
"The only one who can control this is the tourist inspection, and that is by having the inspectors go to some accommodation themselves. They apply for a stay there through the platform, and check on the spot whether the owners have the necessary documents", explains our interlocutor.
He adds that such leases represent a serious problem, considering that the income is not reported and the landlords are committing a criminal offense for which they can be prosecuted - tax evasion.
European cities where AirBnB accommodation is regulated
Due to the exorbitant rent prices, but also the promotion of tourism that harms the local population, some European cities have started to introduce restrictions on short-term apartment rentals to counter this.
Recently, in Vienna, this problem was regulated by introducing a limit for landlords on how long they can rent out their space.
In the Austrian capital, home owners are limited to renting individual accommodation units to tourists for a maximum of 90 days per year.
Parisians who want to rent out their apartments and rooms on a platform like Airbnb must apply to their local city hall. They are limited to renting out their primary residence for a maximum of 120 days per year.
To rent for more than 120 days, they must officially convert their property into furnished tourist accommodation. The city even has a dedicated unit to control illegal apartment rentals.
Strict rules are also in force in Germany.
Berlin previously banned Airbnb. That has now been lifted, but the strict rules – enforced with hefty fines – remain.
Airbnb hosts must have permission to rent out the entire property on a short-term basis. Other houses can be rented for a maximum of 90 days per year.
In Munich, short-term renting of entire homes is limited to eight weeks per year, after which a permit must be obtained.
In Stuttgart, hosts who rent out more than half of their property on a short-term basis are limited to 10 weeks per year without a permit.
