ROME, May 27 (Reuters) - Italian judges have struck down

a government ban on remote check-ins for short-term rentals that

had prompted a clean up of keyboxes from city centres which was

welcomed by campaigners against overtourism.

Properties listed on Airbnb ( ABNB ) and other short-term

rental platforms use self check-in keyboxes to spare owners and

holidaymakers from having to meet in person.

The keyboxes have however been criticised as eyesores, often

cluttering the street entrances of buildings or nearby gates and

railings.

The interior ministry banned the practice in November,

arguing that check-ins without a physical encounter between

guest and renter posed a security risk.

But in a ruling published on Tuesday, the Lazio

administrative court annulled the directive, saying, among other

things, that it placed excessive burdens on landlords.

Following the ban, cities such as Florence and Rome had

stepped up efforts to remove self check-in keyboxes from public

spaces.

Marco Celani, head of short-term rentals association AIGAB,

welcomed the court's ruling on Tuesday and said his lobby was in

talks with the government for the "full recognition" of remote

check-in technologies.

The interior ministry said through a spokesperson it would

wait for the court to publish the reasons for its ruling before

deciding whether to appeal to a higher administrative court.