He warns that the unchecked rise in short-term rentals is worsening the city’s already strained housing market and demands stronger legal tools to tackle the issue.
Reiter Pushes for Licensing and Enforcement of Short-Term Rentals
Reiter emphasizes the need for legal measures to monitor and penalize unauthorized vacation rentals. He proposes that only those who obtain a specific license should be permitted to rent out properties for short stays — and even then, for no more than eight weeks per year. He advocates for the removal of unlicensed listings from rental platforms, citing Spain’s recent crackdown as a model.
Spain as a Model While Bavaria Lags Behind
In 2024, Spanish authorities used a new EU directive to remove over 65,000 unauthorized listings from Airbnb. Although Bavaria is working on implementing similar legislation, no such legal framework currently exists in the region. Reiter urges the state government to act quickly: “We cannot afford to wait years to become operationally capable.”
Mandatory Registration and Local Oversight Proposed
A key part of Reiter’s plan is the introduction of a mandatory registration system for holiday rental providers. Every listed property would require a unique license or registration number. Without this, platforms like Airbnb would be prohibited from publishing the listing.
Reiter also calls for municipalities to be granted access to booking data from rental platforms. This data would allow cities to verify whether properties are being rented legally or in violation of regulations.
Housing Market Under Pressure from Short-Term Rentals
According to Reiter, the increase in short-term rentals is removing badly needed apartments from the long-term rental market. “If more and more homes are kept vacant for tourists, the already tight housing situation in Munich becomes even more severe,” he warns. Legal action is essential to prevent further harm to the residential rental market.
Mayor Demands Strict Enforcement to Combat Illegal Rentals
Reiter argues that requiring licenses, enforcing registration numbers, and granting access to platform data would create a powerful mechanism to stop illegal holiday rentals. “With these tools, we could finally monitor compliance effectively, sanction violations, and put an end to the misuse of residential space,” he concludes.
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