Property owners in Berlin can no longer let out accommodation as private holiday rentals. The government has introduced a new law banning private holiday rentals and despite protests, the courts have rejected a legal challenge against the ban.
There is now mounting concern that other European cities, in particular, London, could follow Berlin’s example and place a ban on short-term holiday lets.
The new law in Berlin came into effect on May 1. Home owners can no longer let out rooms or complete homes or apartments to travellers. Homeowners who flout the ban face fines of up to 100,000 Euros.
A Dark Day for Berlin
“This is a dark day for Berlin. We are unsettled by this decision and can’t understand it in any way. We will continue to fight for private holiday lets,” said a spokesperson for one home-sharing website popular with travellers to Berlin.
Why is there a Ban on Holiday Lets?
Websites such as Airbnb have become increasingly popular in recent years. Anyone with a spare room or vacant property can use the website to let it out to holidaymakers. Often landlords and homeowners can make a lot more money letting out properties to short-term tenants than they can if they look for a long-term tenant.
As a result, letting agents have spoken out against the trend, claiming that the rise of short-term lets in some parts of London is fuelling a lack of affordable rental accommodation and pushing property prices up.
