Starting from January 2026, Milan will ban keyboxes, the key boxes used for self-check-ins in short-term rentals. The decision, approved by the City Council, concerns the installation on street furniture elements, electricity poles, gates, fences and other visible structures on public land.
Anyone who does not respect the ban risks an administrative fine of 100 to 400 euros, in addition to the removal costs to be paid by the owner. The objective is to preserve urban decorum and guarantee public safety, avoiding the improper use of common spaces for the benefit of private individuals. The Municipality gave the owners thirty days to remove the boxes, with forced removal operations if necessary.
Milan’s provision follows the choices already adopted by other Italian cities, such as Florence, Rome and Venice, where the proliferation of keyboxes had raised concerns about the protection of heritage, the management of tourism and the quality of life of residents. In these cases, the boxes were often installed without permission and without any form of traceability, creating control and liability problems.
Local administrations have decided to intervene to regulate the use of devices that facilitate self check-in but which can generate security risks and a negative impact on the urban fabric.
The legislation and the role of the Council of State
The ban in Milan fits into a broader context of national rules. The Council of State recently confirmed the obligation to identify guests, effectively preventing completely autonomous check-in via keybox, except for the use of visual verification tools, such as video intercoms or video calls. This means that keyboxes are not banned outright, but their effectiveness for short-term rentals is now limited. The measure reinforces the need to guarantee that anyone entering an accommodation facility is actually the person registered at the time of booking.
Milan also aims to prevent the illicit use of keyboxes, such as their use for criminal activities, including incidents of drug dealing. Residents and local committees, in Milan as in other Italian cities, had in fact reported several suspicious boxes and repeatedly protested against their use, organizing awareness campaigns and promoting petitions to draw attention to overtourism and the increase in rental prices linked to the spread of short-term rentals.
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