In Tampere, occasional short-term Airbnb renting of an apartment is allowed. According to the permit architect, most of the city’s Airbnb offering is unauthorized professional accommodation.
In January, the city decided to tighten the conditions for short-term rentals. The instructions of the building control, environmental health and rescue services are still valid.
Last week, Tampere announced that it would encourage people to rent apartments for short periods, especially during events or during the holiday season. The reason is that Tampere’s hotel prices are skyrocketing and there is a shortage of accommodation, especially during events.
– This is good news! Even when I called my housing company and the city’s building control a week ago, the message was completely different. The city has apparently turned its back, Katariina Tala rejoices.
He does not see that, for example, Airbnb competes with hotels.
– This is more for self-employed tourists. Especially when hotel prices are high during events, like 300 euros per night, it severely limits the group that can travel. Not many students and pensioners can afford a hotel, says Tala.
\”When you glance at the booking calendars, it no longer looks random\”
The city of Tampere’s building control receives weekly contacts about short-term rentals.
According to Fried, the occasional short-term Airbnb rental of an apartment is still allowed in Tampere. Repeated short-term renting of furnished apartments is not allowed.
It is the building company’s job to ensure that operations in the property comply with laws, regulations and the building permit.
There is no estimate of how many apartments in Tampere are in continuous Airbnb rental use.
– Most of Tampere’s Airbnb offer falls into the category of unauthorized professional accommodation. When you take a look at the booking calendars, it doesn’t look random anymore, says Fried.
The rescue service emphasizes safety issues
From the point of view of the Pirkanmaa rescue service, the biggest problems in short-term Airbnb rentals are related to various safety issues.
In Mertsalmi’s opinion, a person renting an apartment for one night cannot practically know the housing association’s rescue plan if something happens.
– What are the meeting places and what are the possibilities of escape. Has it been thought that the fire department will rescue from a balcony that acts as a backup road, or what kind of solutions are there, says Mertsalmi.
He urges both those who rent Airbnb apartments and those who stay in apartments to familiarize themselves with the guidelines prepared by the Finnish rescue industry safety association.
The host wants the rules of the game
At the moment, there is no court decision on where the line between occasional and non-occasional accommodation is.
Airbnb host Katariina Tala hopes that there will be a definition.
– I would hope for a discussion and it would be great if the rules of the game are thought about at a higher level. This would avoid unpleasant contacts and speculations.
In Tala’s opinion, his own activities do not meet the criteria of professional accommodation.
– Those apartments are our former homes. This is not a main job but a hobby. As long as a person does not start running activities in an apartment building through respa, so that there are key cards and luggage storage, it cannot be called professional.
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