Round table to solve Airbnb dispute in Lucerne
In Lucerne, people are annoyed that too many apartments are being rented out instead of being lived in. Now the dispute is to be settled and solutions sought.
Overtourism is generally a problem in Lucerne. The discussion is fueled by the fact that many apartments are rented out for short periods via platforms such as Airbnb. The landlords are accused of making huge returns at the expense of the general public: while more tourists are lured to Central Switzerland, the housing shortage for locals is exacerbated, so the credo goes.
How the SonntagsZeitung reported in its current issue, professional apartment landlords are now responding to the ongoing criticism. Two of them recently founded the Association of Commercial Apartment Providers, and more members are to join. The aim is to correct widespread untruths that are circulating.
Restrictions demanded - up to and including a ban
President Patrik Berisha rents out 40 apartments with his company in Lucerne. He is particularly annoyed that he and his industry are accused of "rip-offs". According to Berisha, the claim that yields of almost 9,000 francs per apartment per month are achieved is "simply nonsense". In reality, they are talking about yields in the 5-10 percent range.
A lot is at stake in Lucerne, especially for full-time landlords. There are also those who are calling for drastic measures - including a ban on short-term rentals. Another possible cutback would be a restriction on the number of rental days - for example 90 days per year. A knockout blow for a business model like that of Berisha's company Keyforge.
Lucerne Tourism is conspicuous by its absence
According to SonntagsZeitung the opposing parties and representatives of the hotel industry met at a round table on November 11. The discussion on possible solutions was led by the city of Lucerne. Not present: Lucerne Tourism. The newspaper was unable to find out the reason for the surprising absence.
There are around 46,000 apartments in Lucerne. Around 300 of these, i.e. around 0.7 percent, are rented out by commercial providers in the city. Landlord Berisha could also live with the proposal that the proportion be capped at 2 percent. At the same time, the hotel industry is calling for apartment landlords to be subject to the same requirements as hotels. These include security aspects, for example.
The City of Lucerne does not yet wish to communicate the outcome of the round table. The results are expected to be communicated in January.
