Prague is a popular tourist destination
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The days when Airbnb had a somewhat unclear place in the legislation are probably coming to an end. This is evidenced, among other things, by today’s decision of the Prague authorities, which for the first time ever imposed a fine of 20,000 crowns on the owner of a short-term rented apartment. Hana Marvanová, Prague’s councilor for housing, told the press today. In the opinion of the city management, the flats used in this way must follow the same rules as hotels. According to Marvan, this is an important precedent that confirmed the legal analyzes of the municipality and the ombudsman’s office. “Fines may be imposed repeatedly up to the amount of half a million crowns,” said the councilor.
She added that the city strives to The Ministry of Regional Development has issued methodological instructions which would provide the building authorities with decisions in similar cases. According to her, it will help to do so if there are more similar decisions. “We would like residents or property owners who suffer from this problem to contact our counseling center, where they will receive specific legal advice to file a complaint with the building authorities,” said.
According to data from foreign websites dealing with analyzes of short-term accommodation, there are about 13,600 short-term rented flats in the whole of Prague via digital Airbnb-type platforms. In Prague 1 alone, this is 3,600 flats, said Ondřej Boháč, director of the Municipal Institute of Planning and Development, in July this year.
Keychain with Airbnb logo
Photo: Airbnb
Petr Městecký, chairman of the Association of Tolerable Housing in the Center of Prague, lodged a complaint with the building authority on the basis of which today’s fine was imposed last January. He has long advocated the view that the use of apartments in this way is illegal. “It’s not about renting, it’s about providing accommodation services, it’s about doing business,” said today.
He agrees and the August decision of the Municipal Court in Prague . On the basis of an initiative from one of the apartment owners, he decided that the income from rents from services such as Airbnb or Booking.com falls under accommodation services and should be taxed as a business activity, not as a lease.
Marvanová She also stated that, based on the opinion of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the trade unions will also start enforcing the obligation for houses with flats provided via platforms from the outside to be marked. According to the councilor, the problem is that the city does not know where the apartments are located, also due to the fact that the platforms refuse to provide information to the city.
According to it, such as mandatory annual inspections, adjustments resulting from fire and hygiene standards or the obligation to report all standard accommodation facilities. foreign visitors to the foreign police. She added that hotels also fill in statistics on tourism, which, however, are basically useless without taking into account guests in short-term rented flats.
. The city has already submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies, but the current one has not discussed it according to Marvanová
With the contribution of ČTK.
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