No new body to regulate Airbnb lettings
Keystone-SDA
Geneva will not set up a new body to monitor Airbnb rentals, despite an initial proposal calling for one.
On Thursday, the cantonal parliament amended the motion, arguing that a new IT system to improve monitoring would be enough.
The motion, tabled by Marc Saudan, an independent member of the cantonal parliament, called for a register of all short-term lets, the creation of a dedicated supervisory body and a public report within six months. It criticised abuses linked to short-term rentals at a time of chronic housing shortages across the canton.
According to the motion’s backers, more than 2,600 properties have been taken out of the long-term rental market and turned into holiday rentals, fuelling speculation and creating unfair competition for hotels. That view was shared across the cantonal parliament. “Every home counts,” said Ana Roch from the Geneva Citizens’ Movement. However, the majority argued that setting up a new supervisory body would add no value.
Right-wing parties warned against creating yet another “bureaucratic nightmare”, as Radical-Liberal Diane Barbier-Mueller put it. During committee discussions, the cantonal government said it wanted to move quickly by introducing regulatory changes, without adding to the administrative burden or needing to amend the law. One proposal is to extend the requirement for foreign guests to register to all accommodation providers. At present, the rule applies only to hotels.
Every property offered as short-term accommodation will have to be linked to an official registration number, which booking platforms will be required to display. Once the legal limit of 90 overnight stays is reached, an alert will be sent to the Cantonal Office for Housing and Land Use Planning and the commercial police, allowing them to take enforcement action and impose sanctions. Funding has already been approved to develop the new system, said Nicolas Walder, head of the Department of Spatial Planning (DT).
90-day limit
Lawmakers also approved an amendment removing plans for a dedicated monitoring body and a comprehensive register of short-term lets, while retaining a requirement for an assessment report within 12 months. The amended motion was ultimately passed by 65 votes to 31, with one abstention.
Under Geneva’s rules, a primary residence can be rented out for a maximum of 90 days a year, a limit upheld by the Federal Court. Renting it out for longer is considered a change of use and is strictly prohibited. However, enforcing the rule remains difficult because abuses are often hard to detect.
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
