After the Ban on Keyboxes, Electronic Keypads Multiply Across Florence

Three months after the City of Florence officially banned the use of keyboxes, electronic keypads, and similar devices for short-term rentals, many property owners seem to have found a way to bypass the rule.

Despite the ban introduced for safety reasons, following national guidelines from the Italian Ministry of the Interior, dozens of electronic keypads have appeared in various parts of the city. These devices are now being used as an alternative to the banned keyboxes to allow tourists to check in without any in-person contact.

The local civic group “Salviamo Firenze X Viverci”, which has long campaigned against the unchecked growth of short-term rentals, denounced the situation after carrying out another overnight action. Activists placed stickers over several of these newly installed keypads, accusing property owners of ignoring the law and mocking the city’s regulations.

Florence Daily News had previously reported on the city’s decision to ban keyboxes and similar systems when the ordinance was introduced. However, activists now claim that the situation has hardly changed, as many owners have simply replaced the banned devices with different technologies that serve the same purpose.

According to the group, entire buildings and streets that once hosted keyboxes are now lined with keypads. In Via dei Pepi, for example, they counted 13 keyboxes before the ordinance; now, there are 10 keypads in the same spot.

Activists are calling on the city to step up inspections and prevent what they describe as a clear circumvention of the ban. They argue that allowing these practices to continue undermines the city’s credibility and fails to protect local residents from the impact of uncontrolled tourist rentals, which contribute to rising housing costs and the transformation of the city into what they describe as a tourist theme park.

The ordinance allows keypads only if they are managed by the building’s residents for common access—not for tourist self check-in. Activists fear that without proper enforcement, the rule will remain just a cosmetic measure with no real impact.

In response to the activists’ claims, the City of Florence confirmed that inspections are ongoing. The deputy mayor for tourism, Jacopo Vicini, stated that while a single keypad per property may be allowed if approved by the building’s residents, additional checks are underway to ensure compliance. The city reported that more than 200 keyboxes have already been removed, and recent inspections in the Fortezza area led to the removal of additional keyboxes and the identification of unauthorized keypads. In several cases, violations of public security regulations were also recorded, including the failure to report guest information to the police as required by law.

As the pressure mounts on the city government to take action, the debate over how to balance tourism and livability in Florence continues.