Airbnb Rentals in Morocco Hit by Burglary Spree Targeting Short-Term Stays

Residences rented through Airbnb in Morocco have been the subject of several thefts in recent months. This is according to an alert issued by Moroccan landlords on the American vacation rental platform. According to them, these are fake customers who have burglarized small apartments, houses and villas they rented for periods not exceeding two or three days, before stealing their contents and then disappearing. To succeed in their coup, they asked the owners questions about the presence of surveillance cameras, alarm devices and motion detectors in the apartments and houses, in order to avoid them during the burglaries. They also demanded that the landlords equip the apartments and villas with modern furniture and distinctive decorations, allowing them to easily resell valuable items on the market.

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The burglaries were carried out professionally by people claiming to be Moroccans living abroad (MREs) and wishing to stay in the economic capital before going to another city, said the owner of an apartment for rent in Casablanca via Airbnb. According to his explanations, they ask to book apartments in upscale neighborhoods, equipped with precious furniture and bedding, and they inquire beforehand, under the pretext of security, about the presence of surveillance cameras and alarms, which allows them to locate and deactivate these devices, then steal the contents of the apartment or house before fleeing, leaving false identities and fictitious names. According to him, most Airbnb landlords do not declare their activities to the local authorities. They simply ask for copies of the national identity card and the marriage contract for married clients. Few of these landlords have a standard contract requiring the client to sign it before receiving the apartment keys, and containing all information about the tenant and the length of stay, he added.

Currently, Fatima-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, is working to reorganize the sector. In an interview with the same media, she said that her department is working on the implementation of law 80.14, relating to tourist establishments and other forms of tourist accommodation, whose implementing texts have been published. Expanding the existing offer in terms of tourist accommodation, by integrating other players in addition to "Airbnb" and by organizing other forms of tourist accommodation, such as camping and itinerant camping ("bivouac"), cohabitation and alternative accommodation. This is the scope of this law. The implementing decisions of this legislative framework will be published within a month or a month and a half, guaranteeing the organization and supervision of the rented spaces and allowing them to obtain a special classification, added the minister.