In addition to removing posters and signs, Prague public lighting maintainers have another task: removing the key boxes from the street lamps, which are placed there by the owners of apartments offered via Airbnb.

If the owner wants their box back, they must pay 1500 crowns. It is not surprising that no one has applied yet. Moreover, the value of the box itself is much lower.

“We will remove the illegally placed key boxes without damaging the box itself. Owners can contact our company where they will issue the boxes after paying the costs incurred by our company for removal and storage,” said Tomáš Novotný, Vice President of Technology of the City of Prague.

According to sales director Filip Brückner, however, boxes are not yet enough to require special warehouses or shelves for storage, and companies would incur additional costs. “To remove, it is necessary to leave the service vehicle, and it costs 1500 crowns. But we do not charge storage yet,” he said, saying that none of the owners have picked up their boxes yet.

The company also published a call for people who come across pillar boxes to report the case to the toll-free line at 800 40 40 60. “It’s the use of a strange thing, for the lamps are owned by the city. At the same time, it is unjust enrichment because the city leases masts for advertising accessories,” Brückner added. In some cases, the boxes can also cause complications when handling the lamps; for example, they can make the service hole unavailable, iDNES.cz pointed out earlier.

Box keys can bring more revenue

Boxes cost several hundred crowns and are primarily used by providers of shared housing, such as Airbnb. Thanks to the keys stored in the boxes, guests can stay at any time, and the hosts do not have to be physically present when handing over the keys. It is also an option for them to offer self-service accommodation

Boxes cost several hundred crowns and are primarily used by providers of shared housing, such as Airbnb. Thanks to the keys stored in the boxes, guests can stay at any time, and the hosts do not have to be physically present when handing over the keys.

It is also an option for them to offer a self-service accommodation process, allowing guests to access it. For example, guests can use a smart lock (fingerprint or mobile phone unlock), a code lock, a porter, or the locker in which they store the keys.

Self-service accommodation is also one of the conditions for a host to be classified as a business-friendly accommodation and to attract more potential clients.