New registration numbers for Airbnb flats DIW study shows short-term rentals lead to rise in neighborhood rents. Dominik Bardow, 19.2.2021 - 12:00 Uhr Artikel anhören Photo: dpaThe sound of trolleys on cobblestone. Berlin - Digital letting agency Airbnb has suffered its latest setbacks in Berlin: the city government now requires all vacation rentals to have a registration number from the Bezirksamt (district office). Meanwhile, a study released Wednesday shows that Airbnb has driven up rental prices: for every new Airbnb flat on offer, rents increased in the neighborhood by an average of 13 cents per square metre. The study by the DIW German Economic Research Institute shows how vacation rentals are exacerbating the housing shortage in the capital. "This is mainly due to Airbnb rentals that are sublet for longer than 180 days and removed from the regular housing market," Tomaso Duso, author of the study at DIW Berlin, said.