Visiting one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations could soon be a bit harder or at least more expensive. 

Officials in Florence have banned all new short-term residential lets in the city's historic central zone - including those listed on the popular booking platform Airbnb. 

They say too many landlords are cashing in by renting their properties to tourists at inflated daily prices, putting a squeeze on residents who face higher monthly rents and fewer apartments to choose from. 

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Dario Nardello, the city's mayor, says average monthly rents for residents in central Florence have risen by 42 percent since 2016, including a rise of 15 percent in the past year alone.

But it's not just about the rising rents. Nardello says there is a social impact, affecting community cohesion and stability across all neighborhoods.

"The 40,000 Florentines who live in the center are complaining about finding themselves, all of a sudden, living in apartment-hotels," Nardello says. 

The number of central Florence apartments listed on Airbnb has almost tripled in the last seven years, to well above 14,000.

As well as possible fines for new unapproved listings, landlords running existing short-term rental properties will be encouraged to switch to ordinary long-term residential leases, with an offer of tax breaks for three years.

'De-facto ban'

Italy, like many other European countries, is facing a housing crunch, fueled by many factors including a boom in short-term holiday rentals. The central government is reportedly working on a bill to impose minimum stays of two nights in tourist-heavy areas, like Florence. But the city's local authority says it has been forced to act now because those plans haven't moved quickly enough, and don't go far enough. 

Many cities across Europe and the world have imposed differing restrictions to deal with the same problem. They include New York, which in September began enforcing laws which have been described as some of the strictest in the world, and which Airbnb itself says is a "de-facto ban."

The new measures announced in Florence have provoked criticism from other quarters. The right-wing Forza Italia party says it will lodge a legal appeal. While the president of Property Managers Italia, Lorenzon Fagnoni, said the restrictions were "a completely wrong choice that goes against the liberalism of the market."

The world's most popular short-term rental platform, Airbnb, has yet to comment. 

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