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5 hours ago
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Dublin city council is preparing to remove and destroy key lockboxes that have been attached to signs and bike stands by short-stay landlords including Airbnb hosts.
The Irish government has already clamped down on the proliferation of casual lettings by obliging rental property owners to file tax returns on their earnings.
Now, the capital’s city council has declared war on the lockboxes, which have caused concerns over public health and safety in central tourist districts such as Temple Bar.
The boxes are a way for guests to pick up keys to their holiday homes without landlords having to hand them over in person. But for an increasing number of cities across Europe that are grappling with large visitor flows, they have become a hated symbol of overtourism.
“They can pose a trip hazard as they are normally fastened with a chain to either signage poles or bike stands,” the council said in a report. “The units are left lying on the ground without any protection, resulting in public issues as they may become contaminated.”
The council concluded that “lockboxes being used in the public realm will be removed and destroyed”.
Key lockboxes are the latest flashpoint over European cities’ battle with holiday accommodation platforms.
Last month, Paris joined Marseille, Nice, Lille and Annecy in banning them in public places. Any repeat offences would be punishable by a fine of up to €1,500 and €3,000 (£1,252 and £2,504).
In December, Italy also banned keyboxes amid concerns not only over their visual impact but the potential security risks of having people checking in to properties without any identity checks.
Dublin city council said that lockboxes should be wall-mounted and located beside the entry to a house or apartment.
“However, it is becoming increasingly common in Dublin city centre that lockboxes or keyboxes are being placed in the public domain, attached to bike stands and street signage poles,” it said.
To “prevent visitors being stranded with no accommodation on arrival”, the council will be issuing letting platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com, with instructions to give their hosts six weeks’ notice that the keyboxes will be removed.
Dublin city councillor Dermot Lacey, who has led the campaign against the keyboxes, said some of the Temple Bar area was “littered” with them, and landlords seemed happy to “keep on buying new lockboxes” but not removing the old ones.
Last May, Lacey asked the city to organise the removal of the boxes, with the council’s chief executive Richard Shakespeare confirming that “landlords of holiday lets are treated the same as landlords of standard lets regarding their responsibilities under the litter bylaws”.
