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Sour krauts ban Airbnb

Visitors to Berlin this summer will not be able to use short-term apartment hires like those provided by Airbnb after the city's government passed a law making the practice illegal.

The ban isn't total – people can still rent out rooms in their homes – but the new legislation forbids the short-term renting of entire apartments, which the authorities say will stop long-term housing being taken off the market to make easy money from Airbnb-like opportunities.

Citizens can be fined up to 100,000 euros if they break the new law. Right now, officials are being flooded with requests for exemptions, so much so that they may not have time to police the rules.

"Berlin's housing law is complex and unclear, and the government has released conflicting and confusing statements on how it will be implemented. This is bad news for Berlin and regular locals who occasionally share their homes to afford living costs in the city they love," Airbnb told El Reg.

"Berliners understand home sharing is different to other forms of accommodation in the city and want clear and simple home sharing rules. We will continue to encourage the government to listen to the people of Berlin and follow the lead of other major cities that have introduced clear, simple and progressive rules to support regular local residents who share their homes to pay the bills." ®

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