FLORENCE, Italy, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Florence's local

government has ordered owners of holiday rental properties to

remove self check-in keyboxes by February 25 in a move against

over-tourism in the Italian Renaissance city.

Rental companies such as Airbnb ( ABNB ) increasingly use

self check-in keyboxes to save time for property owners and

holidaymakers, who no longer need to meet to hand over keys and

complete check-in procedures.

However, critics say the boxes are ugly and argue that

check-ins without a physical encounter between guest and renter

pose a security risk.

"Next week we will go ... to check where the ban on keyboxes

is not respected, and then we will remove them," Florence Mayor

Sara Funaro told a local television channel on Wednesday.

Fines of up to 400 euros ($417.20) will be imposed on

non-compliant owners, according to the city council's decision.

Other famed Italian tourist destinations such as Rome and

Venice have also taken steps to rein in tourist numbers as

locals protest against the lack of affordable accommodation and

hoteliers say holiday lets are hitting their business.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has already

issued a nationwide rule prohibiting check-ins without visual

guest identification.

Massimo Torelli, spokesperson for the "Let's save Florence

to live in it" campaign, said the group had been daubing the

check-in boxes with a red cross.

They are "everywhere, on the bicycle racks and on the

street-light poles ... Florence is dying of uncontrolled

tourism," he said.

Torelli said he was pleased that city hall was finally

taking action and he hoped the number of apartments dedicated to

short-stay visitors would drop from 15,000 at present to

7,000-8,000, freeing up accommodation for local residents.

($1 = 0.9588 euros)