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The citizens of Lucerne in Switzerland have voted in favor of limiting short-term rentals, such as those offered on Airbnb, to a maximum of 90 days per year. The measure was supported by just over 64% of voters in the central Swiss city. The initiative was aimed at curbing large-scale temporary rentals by commercial providers and making more housing available for Lucerne’s residents who are currently facing a severe housing shortage. The local government had proposed a weaker alternative that would have restricted the percentage of short-term rentals in non-tourist neighborhoods, but it did not receive enough support.
Lucerne will join the list of several European cities that have implemented measures to minimize the impact of Airbnb on the housing market with the help of the votes. In Switzerland, there are already restrictions on renting homes to tourists for short periods in the western regions of Geneva and Vaud. The recent vote in Lucerne was one of many local and regional polls held under Switzerland’s direct democratic system, with a 34.6 percent voter turnout.
The Green Party's youth wing in Switzerland has suggested a new proposal that mandates property owners in the city to either occupy or rent out their homes. The plan requires homeowners to sell their property to the government at market price if they leave it vacant for 12 months, and if they refuse, authorities will expropriate the house after another six months. The Greens argued that Switzerland’s vacancy rates have reached record lows, with Lucerne having a rate of 0.88 percent in 2022, which is considered a housing shortage. The low vacancy rates, coupled with concerns about rising interest rates, have led to fears of significant rent increases in the future.
The "Protect housing regulate Airbnb” initiative, created by the Social Democratic Party, Young Socialists, and Tenants’ Association. The proposal aims to make it challenging for landlords to offer their properties exclusively to tourists. The initiative’s supporters believe that this will render Airbnb unprofitable and hope that the provider will return to the concept of “sharing houses”.
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