Rome city tax

[Ruben9]

Hello community,

I am booking an apt. in Rome for the end of may. The host is telling me to pay an addtional 2 euro's per night as a Rome city tax that the hosts 'must' charge travellers. This charge is seperate from the bill we agreed upon through Airbnb. 

Does anybody have dealt with this before? Is my host doing something he shouldn't do? 

Kind regards,

Ruben **

Amsterdam

[Magy0]

Paul, correct. This tourism tax in Rome exist, of course, but host must include this tax into price for accomodation (like within Special offer section) or guest it have to be informed about that prior to booking.
https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/654/what-is-occupancy-tax--do-i-need-to-collect-or-pay-it

[Amy38]

There is a mechanisme to collect tax through Abn

Reservation...resolution...request money...other issue...amount ...reason forrequest...done.

Guest pays throught Abnb and it is reported to you under separate funds, not rental income.

[Daniela719]

L'host è obbligato a comunicare al  Municipio di Roma i dati degli ospiti che si sono rifiutati di pagare le tasse turistiche. 

[Phil2751]

You say there is no mechanism to charge the tax via AirBnB, but that in no way excuses the host from letting guests know in their listing that the tax needs to be collected. That misrepresents the actual cost of staying with that host and is unfair to other good hosts competing for bookings that do the right thing and publish the tax in their listing. 

[Amedeo15]

In all the world city tax is paid at reception of hotels, holidays houses, campings and so on. At least I personally experienced it in Italy and in Ukraine. Hotels for example generally put this tax additionally to the amount booked on internet.  And they require the payment of this additional fee putting it separately on the bill. So if someone pre paid the booking on internet with credit card, he will have to pay at reception this additional city tax fee. If some hotels decide to include this fee in the booking price, this is their own policy. Not a rule. So I don't understand here why someone argue that this is city tax is something not legal. Here is the official tourism link about it:

http://www.turismoroma.it/news/contributo-di-soggiorno?lang=en

[Vincent287]

My host in Rome messaged me to let me know about the tax and provided the following link to the city's website: https://www.comune.roma.it/web/it/informazione-di-servizio.page?contentId=IDS127159

Looks legit enough for me.

[Erin246]

It's a legitimate tax, but the host should mention it in their listing. Also, when you pay the tax you should recieve a reciept for the payment..

Here's a link to hotel/bed and breakfast tax in Rome.

http://www.turismoroma.it/news/contributo-di-soggiorno

[Emily352]

@Erin246@Vincent287

The owner who rents an apartment in Rome must collect the contribution of stay of € 3.50 per person per day by issuing a receipt / invoice indicating the payment of the overnight stay and the contribution. The contribution only applies for the first 10 days.

I wish to make the point that when you book in Italy, make sure what you are booking: an apartment to rent, a B & B, or a CAV. In Italy, if you rent a flat or a room, the landlord must make you sign a contract (law 431/1998): housing contracts of any duration must have the written form, otherwise the act will be void. In Italy those who rent furnished apartments for tourist purposes can not provide breakfast (only a B & B must provide breakfast in Italy).

If the owner is a B & B or a CAV he should not have you sign a contract.

And one last thing. Remember that AIRBNB is only a digital platform that advertises an apartment or a room, handles the financial transaction, but the lease relationship is between you and the landlord.

Airbnb does not establish itself the types of activities, which are regulated by Italian regional laws, one different from the other.

Rome will enter into agreements with the main market operators to define the payment procedures.

The Roman hosts will collect the fee at least in the initial phase, it is likely that Airbnb and Rome agree to start the direct collection by Airbnb starting a certain date, as previously happened in Bologna and Genova where the tax is entered directly in the payment count that the guest must make.

[Erin246]

Thank you @Emily0, very helpful information to know.

[Sebastian123]

Ciao a tutti. 

Qualcuno che conosca un commercialista in gamba, con dimestichezza in affitti brevi? 

Il mio ho capito che non mi soddisfa...

GRAZIE

Sebastian.

[Matt374]

We've encountered the same issue in Rome. This is on the hosts exclusively. It's called cost of doing business. Our position is it is included in the rate (why else charge us so much?) and we will not conduct a transaction outside the scope of AirBnb. This is similar to an eBay seller asking you to send some extra money outside of PayPal. We certainly will never hand over cash. That's simply shady.  

Hosts shouldn't exhort it from a guest upon arrival. If a host asks you for it and doesn't tell you ahead of time, give them a one star rating and mention it in your review. Heck, give them a one star review if they don't include it in the price *even* if they tell you. A host asking for cash, regardless of the excuse, should always equate to a one star. 

My rule is if a host *ever* makes me feel awkward or uncomfortable during my stay, they get a one star rating down the line. 

[Bryan10]

It's true and it's specific to Italy. I'm usually an Airbnb host, but travelling through Italy last year I had to pay an extra 2 Euros while staying everywhere. It's a liittle annoying as a traveller, but it's the rules. 

[Nicholas205]

This malpractice is not confined to Italy, but is definitely most prevalent in Italy.

Article 6(1)(e) of Directive 2011/83/EU (Consumer Rights Directive) states the following:

Article 6
Information requirements for distance and off-premises contracts
1.   Before the consumer is bound by a distance or off-premises contract, or any corresponding offer, the trader shall provide the consumer with the following information in a clear and comprehensible manner:
(e) the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes...

Articolo 6
Obblighi di informazione per i contratti a distanza e per i contratti negoziati fuori dei locali commerciali
1.   Prima che il consumatore sia vincolato da un contratto a distanza o negoziato fuori dei locali commerciali o da una corrispondente offerta, il professionista fornisce al consumatore le informazioni seguenti, in maniera chiara e comprensibile:
e) il prezzo totale dei beni o dei servizi comprensivo delle imposte...

EU directives are enacted into each EU member state's national law, and this particular provision is enacted into Italian law under Article 49(1)(e) of Decreto Legislativo 21 febbraio 2014, n.21.

Directive 2011/83/EU: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:32011L0083

Decreto Legislativo 21 febbraio 2014, n.21: http://www.agcm.it/normativa/consumatore/6841-decreto-legislativo-21-febbraio-2014-n-21-diritti-dei-...

The total price quoted by the host and/or Airbnb is contractually binding. The host has to fund any taxes due (VAT, local tax or any other tax) from the agreed total price. The same malpractice often happens with Italian hotels, many of which breach EU and Italian legislation by separately charging local tax on top of the total price.

If a host tries to charge you tax unlawfully in addition to the total price, then you should quote the above EU directive and the Italian legislation, and politely refuse. The law is on your side. If you are forced to pay additional tax in order to stay in your booked accommodation, then you should pay "under protest" and subsequently seek redress from Airbnb.

[Ryan620]

Thanks for the info @Nicholas0, wish I’d seen this before I paid the tax. 4 people for 3 nights adds up very quickly.

[Brenno3]

Same problem here. I can not understand why this tax details are not included in the description, and is really annoying that we have to pay it in cash. The hosts should increase the rent to cover this costs and dismiss the guest from this disgusting situation.