22.02.2023
Traveler accommodation providers will be given a transitional period to register on the public Airbnb registry, as amended by relevant legislation announced in Parliament Tuesday.
The House Commerce Committee once again discussed hosting tourists with self-catering or renting through Airbnb.
To date, only about 5,000 properties out of approximately 15,000 have applied to list with Airbnb. The current law, which is being amended, aims to combat tax evasion on income from such rental services.
Committee chairman Kyriakos Hadjiyannis later told reporters that the proposed amendments would provide a transitional period until the end of 2024 for the registration of bad property. This applies to properties that do not have a final building permit as their zoning plans are pending.
Once these people sign up with Airbnb, they will be able to advertise on digital platforms.
Another question concerned electricity meters. According to Hadjiyannis, a solution has been found where applicants will only need one electricity meter at the facility to register for an Airbnb license. For example, in an apartment building with 10 or more apartments, the applicant can only indicate one electricity meter.
Another change is that the “overnight tax” will be included on the Airbnb supplier bill. Then government inspectors check the bill.
The Disy MP thanked his colleagues for their joint work to eliminate loopholes in the current legislation. He said the committee would agree on the final text of the bill, probably at its next meeting, after which the bill would be sent to the plenary session of the House of Representatives.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Urban Development and Housing, the Land Cadastre, the Union of Municipalities and the Association of Hoteliers.
