TÜRSAB Legal Advisor says villa rentals are accommodation facility activities
TÜRSAB Chief Legal Advisor Ilker UNSEVER has referred to the writing sent by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the governorates “mentioning villa rentals are not travel agency activity” and explained the legal principles related to the issue.
The advisor said TÜRSAB had published a writing explaining that activities such as renting real estate properties like villas, room, apartments etc. for tourism accommodation purposes could/should not be done by parties other than travel agencies.
He went on to say, “Izmir and Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism sent writings to the Ministry of Tourism inquiring about the issue. The ministry replied that it was considered that the rental of these places, which are qualified as residential villas and apartments (and are not in the status of commercial enterprises) could not be considered as exclusive activity to travel agencies and thus and administrative action could not be applied to persons and organizations operating within the scope of the law No. 1618″.
The advisor went on to say, “However, villa rental is an activity of an accommodation business. This action, which you refer to, degrading and changing its name to’ Villa rental’, is an act of “disguised tourism operation activity different to normal rental activities. You can’t call it “renting”. Because, the law doesn’t say it. Rent a house for 3 days? Do you rent a house daily, hourly? It’s not rent. It is the activity of an accommodation enterprise. The product thus produced by the hospitality business is a product of tourism. Tourism products can be marketed exclusively by travel agencies. No official in the Ministry of Tourism has the right and authority “not to enforce these laws by an interpretation in a single article.
As TÜRSAB, we will insist on bringing this matter to justice. Please report your complaints. We’ll follow it to the end. We will take legal action against all those responsible so that whoever has to be accountable to the judiciary pays for the resulting damages.” (TA)
