The Ministry of the Interior has decided to put a stop to the use of self-check-in and safety deposit boxes (keybox) in the short rentals. With a circular signed by the Chief of Police Victor Pisani, the Ministry of the Interior has established that the identification of guests through digital transmission of documents does not comply with security regulations. The method, increasingly widespread in the sector, does not guarantee the verification of the customer's identity, creating potential risks to public order.
Security risks, visual identification only
The provision underlines the need for stricter control over guests of accommodation facilities, especially in view of significant events like the Jubilee, which will attract millions of tourists (estimated between 30 and 35 million visitors to Italy in 2025). The document highlights how the automated access management may facilitate the accommodation of dangerous people or people linked to criminal and terrorist organizations. Only thevisual identification meets legal requirements.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi declared that the keybox model is “to be overcome”, since often used to circumvent the rules. He also reiterated that guest data must be transmitted promptly to Police Headquarters to prevent abuses and ensure collective safety.
The circular from the Ministry of the Interior extends the obligation to physical identification also for home exchanges, such as HomeExchange, requiring that the personal details of those taking over be communicated to the Police Headquarters. Furthermore, it recommends that prefects inform the provincial committees for order and security and assign the police headquarters to carry out checks.
Stop keyboxes: the reactions of the sector
The measure has received conflicting opinions. On the one hand, many cities, including Florence and Bari, see this crackdown as a step forward to address the phenomenon of gentrification and improve security. “The need for personal identification of guests was born to avoid security risks, however it is clear that this is a rule that can help mitigate the explosion of tourist rentals, which accelerates the so-called gentrification processes of entire parts of cities and historic centers in particular,” explained the mayor of Bari Vito Leccese. Same Airbnb has expressed its support to support initiatives that promote in-person hospitality, including through educational campaigns.
Concern, however, comes from theItalian Association of Short-Term Rental Managers (Aigab), underlining that many professional managers already use advanced biometric recognition systems and OTP codes, comparable to those used to access bank accounts. According to the president Marco Celani, introducing the obligation of physical identification only for short-term rentals would be discriminatory and penalizing for the sharing economy: “As Aigab we believe that the lockers on the streets should be eliminated and every control is welcome against forms of abuse that are harmful to the entire category. However, we believe that the Ministry of the Interior is not aware of the fact that the software used by many professional managers uses guest recognition technologies with biometric tracking and OTP codes that are completely similar to SPID, access to car rentals and bank accounts. Not believing that the Government wants to put an end to sharing economy in Italy, introducing physical recognition only for short-term rentals would be discriminatory”.
