Lucerne: City takes action against short-term rentals

In spring 2023, the voters of the city of Lucerne approved the "Protect living space - regulate Airbnb" initiative and thus voted in favor of strong regulation of the short-term rental business. The city council, which actually wanted a less strict regulation, has now drawn up regulations to implement the initiative. As requested in the initiative, short-term rentals of residential premises will be limited to 90 nights per year. The regulations do not apply to the tourism and agricultural zones.

A number of exceptions are provided for: For example, residential premises in which at least one person has their main residence are exempt. Another exception is the accommodation of persons in social facilities such as asylum centers or medical and nursing homes. Staff housing in which companies accommodate their employees should also remain possible.

Special rules for hotels

Rooms in hotels can continue to be rented out for short periods without restriction - as long as it is a hotel as defined by the regulations. For example, the rooms may not have any cooking facilities and there must be the possibility of daily cleaning, according to the city of Lucerne.

Due to the vested rights guarantee, the city council has defined a transitional period of five years in the regulations. During this period, apartments whose short-term rental was previously legal may continue to be rented out for short stays without restriction. According to the city council, it can be assumed that five years will be sufficient to amortize the investments made for short-term rentals with an average occupancy rate.

The Grand City Council is expected to decide on the regulations on February 29. Parliament's decision is subject to an optional referendum. If the referendum is not held, the regulations will come into force on September 1, 2024. (ah)