All short-term letting apartments will soon be obliged by law to install an air conditioner, Tourism Minister Ian Borg has announced.

“It’s no joke that some apartments are rented out to tourists without ACs, particularly in summer,” Dr Borg said.

As a joke following a recent comment by Opposition Leader Alex Borg, he said that AC sellers will now have work to do. 

This new rule was included in a new proposed legal notice to further regulate tourism accommodations as part of a drive towards quality tourism.

Short-term rentals will be capped at a maximum of two people per bedroom, up to a maximum of ten guests.

Exceptions will apply to properties like villas or farmhouses whose planning permits reflect more than four bedrooms, so long as they have separate entrances. Therefore, a farmhouse with a permit for six bedrooms will be allowed a maximum of 12 guests at any given moment

As announced in an initial draft last November, short-term, landlords will be obliged to install signage in front of the property which includes its MTA license number and the contact number of a person who is available 24/7.

Landlords must also send the MTA a declaration laying out how they intend to manage their guests’ waste collection.

People caught operating without a license will be disqualified from the sector for three years.

Other tourism accommodations will also face new restrictions.

Hotels will not be allowed to have more than 200 beds, and a legal proviso that allowed them to exceed the height limits set out in the local plans by two storeys will be scrapped.

No more applications will be accepted for one and two star hotels or for all-inclusive resorts and tourism villages, while hostels will only be considered for approval if they form part of an educational institution.

Guesthouses will only be considered in the heart of localities, in scheduled buildings or buildings with a special architectural character.

Establishments can receive a number of special labels – boutique, luxury boutique, Diffuso, bed and breakfast, heritage, spa and wellness, and agro-tourism.