Budapest district mayor shares further details about possible Airbnb ban from September

We reported that a Budapest downtown district, Terézváros, is planning a local referendum in September about banning Airbnb in the district. If the locals vote for the ban, the drastic measure would be a first in Hungary. Szeretlek Magyarország asked Tamás Soproni, the re-elected mayor of Terézváros (6th district), about what Airbnb users, owners and locals should know about the referendum.

Budapest district may ban Airbnb in weeks

According to Szeretlek Magyarország, 8% of the apartments in Terézváros are short-term rentals, while that number in Budapest is 14 thousand. That is the official data. In practice, the local government discovered multiple illegal “Airbnbs” in a May probe.

Terézváros from above. Photo: FB/Soproni

Meanwhile, the local government’s revenue from the sector reached EUR 1.77 million, which is considerable. Critics say that Airbnb increases rental prices. Others argue that the Airbnb sector provides work for lots of people and has benefits concerning tourism development. Meanwhile, Airbnb apartments are out of the housing market, which results in sky-high rental prices.

Mr Soproni promised to share information and pro-contra arguments with every household. As a result, locals can make responsible decisions. Moreover, they plan online campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. They will also organise a conference to hear lobbyists and experts.

Hunyadi Square. Photo: FB/Soproni

Government office made Terézváros abolish another Airbnb decree

Terézváros tried another way before. They wanted to limit the number of opening days to 0 of those Airbnb apartments that local families found problematic. However, the government office called them to abolish the relevant local decrees because they were against the law.

Photo: www.airbnb.co.uk/

The Hungarian Parliament allowed all local governments to limit the number of opening days for short-time rents. However, Terézváros’s example shows they can only make universal rules instead of customised ones.

Concerning numbers, Soproni said that in Terézváros, 8% of the apartments are Airbnbs. In the 7th district, it is 10%, while in the 5th district, that rate is 7%.

Only locals can vote, but it is not an official referendum

Soproni said the voting would last two weeks in September, and only locals can vote offline or online. They must show their identity card and residency card to do so. Locals above 16 can vote because the mayor believes they must allow younger generations to form the district’s future.

He promised that the IT system would be safe and would not allow anybody to vote more than once.

He said it would not be an official referendum because it is pricey and requires personal attendance. In the 7th district, for example, a similar initiative was unsuccessful because only 10% of the locals voted.

Officially, the September voting will be a consultation, but it will bind the new local government starting its work on 1 October.

Read also:

• Bad news for tourists: Budapest district may ban Airbnb in September – read more HERE
• Wizz Air under fire again: New investigation launched against Hungarian low-cost airline – details in THIS article