Milan has become the latest major European city to clamp down on anonymous self check-in for tourist apartments, approving a citywide ban on key lock boxes used for short term rentals from January 2026. The measure targets the metal key safes and coded boxes that have proliferated on building facades and street fixtures, and will force both local hosts and international travelers to rethink how they hand over and receive keys in Italy’s financial capital.

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What exactly Milan is banning from 2026

Under the new rules adopted by Milan’s city council, self check-in key boxes and similar devices used for short term rentals will no longer be allowed when they are attached to public-facing structures.

That includes boxes fixed to street furniture, railings, external gates, poles, road signs and other elements overlooking public space. Authorities say such devices constitute an unlawful private occupation of public property and will now be treated as an administrative offense.

The ban will start to be enforced in January 2026 and will apply across the municipality, not just in the historic center. Hosts who keep using external key boxes for tourist stays after the deadline face fines reported in the range of 100 to 400 euros, along with the cost of having the city remove the devices if they do not do so voluntarily.

Municipal officers will be tasked with identifying and cataloguing non compliant boxes, issuing removal orders and, if necessary, physically dismantling them.

Importantly, the move does not outlaw short term rentals themselves, nor does it prohibit all forms of automated access. The specific target is the visible hardware that allows guests to retrieve physical keys without any real time identity check. Internal key safes located inside private property and digital access systems that comply with identification requirements may still be permitted, provided they do not occupy public land and respect building regulations.

Security, public space and overtourism concerns

City officials have framed the decision as a response to multiple, converging concerns: security, urban aesthetics and the impact of tourist rentals on local life. Milan’s resolution echoes arguments already made in Florence and Rome, where authorities describe rows of metal boxes on historic facades as visual clutter and an “improper use of public property for private gain.”

Residents’ associations have long complained that entrance doors and railings in central neighborhoods have turned into extensions of the short term rental business.

Security has become a central theme. Italian media reports and municipal documents point to recent judicial investigations in which key boxes were allegedly used to facilitate illegal activities, including drug dealing and other clandestine exchanges. Because the devices allow access without hosts witnessing who actually picks up the keys, officials say they make it harder to trace who is entering buildings and when.

Milan’s move comes as national authorities stress that hospitality operators must be able to match a face with an ID at the moment of check-in, in line with long standing public security rules.

There is also a broader political context. Like many European destinations, Milan has faced mounting criticism over overtourism, rising rents and the spread of short term tourist lets in residential blocks. While the key box ban alone will not reverse those trends, it is being presented as part of a toolbox of measures that can slow the most informal and difficult to regulate parts of the market. By making anonymous, frictionless check-in harder, local leaders hope to push operators toward more formal practices and closer oversight.

Milan’s decision arrives at a moment of intense legal and regulatory debate over self check-in across Italy. In 2024, the Interior Ministry issued a national circular that sharply limited unattended systems such as key boxes and remote access codes, insisting that guest identification should be carried out in person for public safety reasons. That stance created uncertainty for thousands of hosts who had come to rely on automated arrivals to manage multiple properties or late night check-ins.

In 2025, a regional administrative court in Lazio partially annulled the ministry’s circular, arguing that a blanket prohibition on remote procedures was disproportionate and had not been adequately justified. For several months, that ruling was interpreted by some as reopening the door to key boxes, at least where basic identification data was still collected.

However, Italy’s Council of State later reversed the direction again, stressing that the country’s public security code requires a genuine visual verification of the guest, not just the receipt of a document scan.

Legal analysts now interpret that high court decision as meaning that self check-in is unlawful whenever there is no way to verify that the person walking through the door is the same person whose name appears on the registration.

In practice, this has given fresh momentum to municipal campaigns against unattended key safes. Cities such as Rome and Florence have launched or reinforced removal drives, and platforms that advertise Italian properties have started warning hosts about local bans in specific historic zones and city centers.

Other Italian cities already acting on key boxes

Milan is following a path already traced by several of Italy’s most visited cities. In Florence, local authorities approved a ban on self check-in key boxes for holiday rentals earlier in 2025, giving owners a short deadline to remove devices or face fines of up to 400 euros.

The mayor there publicly described the boxes as both unsightly and risky, and municipal police have since carried out targeted inspections to cut off non compliant installations from railings and doors in the old town.

Rome has taken a slightly different, but related, approach. The capital has long prohibited padlocks and similar objects on monuments and certain protected assets in its UNESCO-listed historic center. More recently, city officials and police have moved against key safes believed to be linked to unregistered tourist lets, particularly in heavily touristed neighborhoods such as Trastevere.

Residents’ committees in those districts have staged protests and shared images of streets where dozens of lock boxes cluster around a single doorway, arguing that they symbolize the replacement of long term neighbors with a stream of short term visitors.

Venice, Bologna and other Italian destinations have also tightened their short term rental rules and, in some cases, placed caps or moratoriums on new tourist lets in central districts. The campaigns against key boxes fit into a broader national trend that seeks to place clearer boundaries around what is allowed, without entirely eliminating platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Milan’s alignment with this trend suggests travelers can expect similar restrictions to spread rather than recede in the near future.

What 2026 visitors to Milan need to know

For travelers planning trips to Milan in 2026 and beyond, the key practical change is in how you will access a booked apartment or holiday rental. From January 2026, you should not expect to pick up keys from a small combination box hanging on an exterior fence, lamppost or entry gate, even if past reviews mention an easy self check-in. If such a box is still in place, there is a risk that city inspectors will remove it or fine the host during your stay, potentially leaving you without your usual access method.

Instead, more rentals are likely to revert to traditional hosted arrivals, where either the owner or a property manager meets you on site, checks your identification and hands over keys in person. Some operators are also experimenting with live video verification, where you show your ID during a video call before receiving an electronic code for a smart lock inside the building. In all cases, the emphasis is shifting toward clear, traceable identification at the moment of access, not just collection of passport details after the fact.

Travel experts advise that anyone booking a Milan apartment for 2026 should ask hosts in advance to explain exactly how check-in will work under the new rules. Late night arrivals and self service expectations that were once routine may no longer be feasible if staff must be present or available via video link. If your itinerary includes a very late flight or train, you may wish to build in extra margin or consider staying in a hotel with a staffed reception for the first night, then moving to an apartment once you can easily meet the host within normal hours.

Impact on hosts and the short term rental market

For Milanese hosts, the ban on external key boxes is more than a cosmetic issue; it alters one of the core operational advantages of running short term rentals at scale. Lock boxes allowed small agencies and individual owners to handle multiple arrivals without being physically present, reduce staffing costs and offer highly flexible check-in windows. Their disappearance from public view means higher labor needs, closer coordination with guests and, in some cases, investment in alternative technologies.

Some local property managers are already planning to install smart locks or internal coded safes that can be controlled remotely, so long as they stay within the bounds of identification rules and private property. Others are looking at centralized check-in desks or key collection points away from the most sensitive streets, mimicking traditional hotel reception for clusters of apartments. For many, the bigger challenge will be ensuring compliance with the national requirement for visual identity checks, which can complicate fully automated solutions.

The overall effect could be a modest cooling of the most informal slice of Milan’s rental market. Operators who are unable or unwilling to adapt may reduce the number of units they offer or switch back to longer term leases, particularly if they are also facing tighter building regulations and tax scrutiny. At the same time, those who remain may seek to pass on increased operating costs through higher nightly rates or stricter minimum stays, changing the economics for budget conscious travelers.

How to prepare if you already booked a Milan rental

Travelers who have already reserved a Milan short term rental for dates after January 1, 2026, should not panic, but they should take proactive steps to clarify arrangements. The first move is to contact your host through the booking platform and ask whether they currently use an external key box, and if so, how they plan to comply with the city’s new rules. Request a clear description of the check-in process you will follow, including where you will meet, what ID you need to show and what happens if your arrival is delayed.

It is wise to keep any updated instructions in writing, either within the platform’s messaging system or in a saved document, in case of disputes later. If a host is vague, insists they will “still use the box,” or appears unaware of the regulation, you may want to consider alternative accommodation. Larger, professionally managed properties are likely to adapt more quickly, while individual hosts may need more time to rework their routines before 2026.

Travel planners also recommend building more realistic arrival windows into your Milan itinerary. Where you might once have booked an evening flight and relied on a code-based key pickup, the new environment favors daytime arrivals or early evening check-ins when hosts can more easily be present. If you must arrive late, discussing contingency plans is essential. In some cases, combining a first night in a hotel with a subsequent move to an apartment can provide both security and the home-like space many travelers seek.

FAQ

Q1. When does Milan’s ban on self check-in key boxes come into effect?
It will begin to be enforced from January 2026, at which point external key boxes used for short term rental access on public-facing structures will be considered illegal.

Q2. What types of devices are covered by the Milan ban?
The rules apply to self check-in key boxes, coded lock boxes and similar devices installed on building facades, railings, poles, gates, road signs and other elements that overlook public space and are used to hand over keys for tourist stays.

Q3. Will I still be able to book an Airbnb or similar rental in Milan after 2026?
Yes, short term rentals are not being banned, but hosts will have to use check-in methods that comply with the new city rules and national identification requirements instead of anonymous street-side key boxes.

Q4. How will I check in to an apartment in Milan without a key box?
Most guests can expect either an in person meeting with a host or property manager, or a process that uses live visual verification, such as a video call before receiving a digital access code or internal key.

Q5. What happens if a host keeps using an external key box after the deadline?
Hosts who ignore the ban risk administrative fines reportedly ranging from about 100 to 400 euros and may also be charged for the cost of having the municipality remove the device.

Q6. Are internal key safes or smart locks still allowed?
Devices located inside private property or within common areas may be allowed if they do not occupy public space and are used in ways that respect Italy’s requirement for visual identification of guests at check-in.

Q7. Does this change mean self check-in is completely illegal in Italy?
Italian case law now indicates that self check-in is unlawful whenever there is no direct or equivalent visual verification of the guest’s identity, so fully unattended key box arrivals are not considered compliant, but systems that include real time visual checks may still be permitted.

Q8. I have a late-night arrival in Milan in 2026. What should I do?
You should contact your host well in advance to confirm that someone will be available to check you in or that a compliant video verification system is in place, and consider booking a hotel for your first night if reliable hosted check-in cannot be guaranteed.

Q9. Are other Italian cities introducing similar bans?
Yes, cities such as Florence, Rome, Venice and Bologna have already taken steps against key boxes or tightened short term rental rules, often in historic centers and UNESCO-listed areas, as part of wider efforts to manage overtourism.

Q10. How can I make sure my Milan rental is following the rules?
When booking, read the listing carefully, avoid properties that advertise external key box access, and use the platform’s messaging tools to ask hosts directly how they comply with the new Milan regulations and Italy’s guest identification requirements.