Greens demand consistent measures against illegal key boxes!

Greens demand consistent measures against illegal key boxes!

The discussion about short-term rentals via platforms like Airbnb is becoming increasingly louder in Vienna. The Neubauer district in particular is the focus of criticism because the Greens have submitted an application to the district council that is directed against the illegal use of key boxes in public spaces. These boxes allow potential guests anonymous access to numerous Airbnb apartments located in the seventh district. According to meinkreis.at there are more than 700 such offers, which leads to a noticeable shortage of housing and rising rental prices in the region.

Christoph Schuster, the office manager of the Neubau district administration, points out that these key boxes are illegal and that the Department of Road Administration (MA 28) is responsible for their removal. There are currently no specific locations of key boxes known. The city is therefore addressing the population: tips can be reported via the “Sag’s Vienna” app. The overall goal? To regain the living space taken away from the Neubauer population and to increase the hurdles for commercial short-term rentals. In the long term, politicians are even aiming for a comprehensive ban on such rentals in residential zones.

A European problem

Similar challenges cannot only be observed in Vienna. In other European cities, such as Paris, action is also being taken against illegal key boxes and short-term rentals. An estimated 25,000 private holiday apartments there are often illegal, as tagesschau.de reports. The Paris city government has taken measures to crack down on rental speculation. A new catalog of measures, which has been in force since January 2025, draws particular attention to the rental of main residences: This may only be offered to tourists for 90 days a year.

The political efforts are not without resistance. Hoteliers in Paris have already filed lawsuits against the private holiday apartments, while Airbnb itself has expressed concerns that the new requirements could have a negative impact on renters and the local economy. Nevertheless, an increasingly strict stance against the commercial use of living space is also taking hold in other cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. These cities have their own regulations on the misappropriation of housing, which have recently been tightened by new laws.

Regulations on the rise

Overall, it is clear that short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb are confronted with long overdue regulations in many cities. Converting regular apartments into holiday accommodation deprives the housing market of urgently needed living space, leading to rising rents and the displacement of tenants. Many cities have already passed strict misappropriation regulations to counteract this trend. Violations of these regulations can be punished with fines of up to 500,000 euros, underlining the seriousness of the situation.

The legal situation surrounding Airbnb and similar platforms has changed drastically in recent years, which was underpinned by a 2020 ECJ ruling. This ruling strengthens cities' regulatory options. The new digital registration process for hosts, which is now being introduced in many countries, is intended to help make rentals more transparent and protect the rights of tenants.

The mix of political initiatives and growing pressure on platforms like Airbnb shows that the topic of short-term rentals is current and explosive not only in Vienna, but throughout Europe.