Bucharest Tourist Apartments Operate Illegally in High-Risk Seismic Buildings, Exposing Visitors

Bucharest faces a growing threat to tourist safety, with over 200 apartments being illegally rented out on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. These properties are situated in buildings classified under RS1, the highest seismic risk category, where rentals are explicitly prohibited by Romanian law. This situation exposes unsuspecting tourists to potential disaster in a city known for its seismic vulnerability.

The investigation, supported by data from the Romanian organization Re:Rise, identified at least 207 illegal tourist properties by late May. These listings, spread across Booking.com, Airbnb, and both platforms, can collectively accommodate over 1,000 tourists nightly. All are located in RS1-classified buildings, a designation that signifies extreme danger in the event of an earthquake. Bucharest is considered the most seismically exposed capital in the European Union, a fact underscored by the devastating 1977 earthquake that killed over 1,500 people and destroyed 32 buildings.

Romanian legislation enacted in 2024 strictly forbids short-term or long-term rentals in RS1 buildings. Despite this, the number of unsafe properties may be significantly higher, as not all buildings in the capital have undergone seismic evaluations. Fines for non-compliance range from 1,000 to 2,000 euros, yet enforcement appears insufficient to curb the practice.

Compounding the danger, neither Airbnb nor Booking.com mandates that property owners disclose the seismic safety of their listings. Matei Sumbasacu, founder of Re:Rise, expressed frustration, stating that the platforms defer responsibility to owners. Tourists like Ana Todor, who booked apartments in RS1 buildings without realizing the illegality, reported that property descriptions often downplay risks. Only two of the identified listings even mentioned seismic risk, and they attempted to minimize the warning, leaving visitors unaware of the potential peril.