Owners of “apartments for the day” will “reverse” thousands of KM for the New Year: Most do not pay taxes, they have work for inspectors as well – As soon as you open platforms for renting apartments, you will immediately be flooded with ads for renting “apartments for the day”.
They are offered on every corner, in the city center, in new buildings, on the outskirts in peace, as anyone wants.
When you look at those apartments, they really look beautiful and luxurious, and the prices are quite “peppery”.
So for three stays in that apartment of about 40 square meters near the center of Sarajevo, you will spend 300 KM for three days, but those who want “short pleasure” will pay 40-50 KM for three hours of stay.
Renting “apartments for the day” flourishes during the New Year period, when many tourists from the region come to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sarajevo. Given that Jelena Rozga is singing this year, it is certain that the number of tourists from the region, as well as from other cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be large. All these people have to sleep somewhere.
It is more worthwhile for visitors to pay for that apartment than a multi-day stay in a hotel. In addition, they have the right to spend their money as they wish, and apartment owners use and rub their hands with satisfaction. As things stand, hundreds of thousands of marks will be “reversed” this year as well.
What does the law say?
Renting apartments by the day is not clearly regulated by law, the owners generally do not pay tax.
– The term “apartment for the day” does not exist in any legislation, and the Inspectorate of the Market and Tourist Inspection treats the rental of apartments as work without the approval of the hospitality facility (apartment). In accordance with the FBiH Hospitality Act, a person who is found to be engaged in the activity of renting apartments without authorization issued by the competent authority acts by issuing a decision prohibiting the activity of catering and issuing a misdemeanor order in the amount of 150 KM, and in accordance with the provisions of the aforementioned Act – says Vildana Brdarić-Vranj, spokeswoman of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs of KS.
As in the case of the FBiH Tax Administration, the inspectors of this Inspectorate do not have the authority to enter a private apartment without a court order.
– The activities of the Inspectorate of Market and Tourist Inspection related to apartment rental, and in accordance with the available capacities, are carried out continuously and planned, and the inspections include legal and natural persons who offer and advertise accommodation services through online platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb.com, OLX.ba and other websites and applications for advertising accommodation.
As for the payment of taxes for the issuance of “apartment for the day”, as Brdrarić-Vranj says, the Tax Administration of FBiH is responsible. However, they told us that it does not fall under their jurisdiction.
– During October and November of this year, the Inspectorate of Market and Tourist Inspection carried out inspections of the aforementioned accommodation facilities in the area of Sarajevo Canton. In the activities so far, 56 inspections have been carried out, in which it was determined that 21 subjects were performing activities without the approval of the competent authority, for which the inspectors acted by issuing 21 misdemeanor orders with a total monetary value of 3,150 KM. 11 decisions were issued on the prohibition of activities – says Vildana Brdarić-Vranj.
He states that in the current month, increased inspections are also being carried out in the mentioned area, due to the upcoming New Year’s holidays, when an increased number of guests is expected in Sarajevo Canton, he writes. Factor.
– We hereby appeal to the public to report all knowledge related to the performance of hospitality activities (renting out apartments) without a work permit issued by the competent authority to this Inspectorate – Vildana Brdarić-Vranj, spokeswoman for the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs of KS, concluded for Faktor.
