Tourism SP Interlaken submits "Airbnb initiative"

The local SP section in Interlaken has collected twice as many signatures as necessary for its initiative to regulate platform rentals. Signatures are also being collected in the surrounding municipalities on the Bödeli.

In Matten, Bönigen, Wilderswil and Unterseen, the party is close to reaching its collection target, according to a press release issued by the SP on Tuesday. This indicates that the petition for a referendum can be submitted in all five Bödeli municipalities.

In Interlaken, 552 signatures were collected. "We are proud to have collected the necessary signatures in such a short time," said Ruedi Simmler, President of the SP local group, in the press release. The deadline for collecting the necessary 276 signatures would expire at the end of November.

Short-term rentals of apartments via platforms such as Airbnb often earn landlords several times more than a normal long-term rental. As a result, the supply of living space for locals is becoming scarcer and rents are rising. According to the SP, residential areas are also suffering from noise, traffic and a loss of neighborhood and quality of life.

Families and people on low incomes are particularly affected by such developments. According to Simmler, the submission of signatures on Tuesday has now set the ball rolling. "Now it's up to the municipal authorities," says Simmler.

The initiative demands that apartments may only be rented out for a maximum of 90 nights per year to people who are temporarily staying outside their legal place of residence for no longer than three months. Renting out a maximum of five beds is exempt, provided the landlord lives in the house or apartment all year round.

SDA