Courts plug short-term rental rule gap

Two diametrically opposed court decisions for short-term property rentals (one in favor and one against) have been issued in recent days. They attempt to set some rules on what is permitted and what is not, both for hosts and for their neighbors, who may be disturbed by certain activities. This set of rules effectively serves to cover the institutional void regarding various aspects of the leasing of properties through online platforms.

The decisions boil down to the understanding that preventing short-term rentals is not easy, as this is only feasible if it is clearly forbidden in the regulations of individual apartment blocks. The vast majority of apartment blocks do not have such provisions.

However, the standard regulations do determine that if the business activity of an owner disturbs the neighbors, in terms of security, noise, damage etc, a court can impose a ban on the rental of a property on the condition that sufficient evidence has been brought by the neighbors concerned.