UrBC, Moscow, March 13, 2019. The Federation Council’s Social Policy Committee recently suggested that a new bill banning hostels in housing quarters and apartment buildings should best not get adopted just yet.

Kommersant now refers to the committee’s chair Valeriy Ryazansky as saying the halt is necessary to ensure a longer transition period for hostel owners before the bill does come into effect.

Besides, there are already quite a few hostels operating in Russia that have never registered as a business. Experts believe there could be as many as 2,000 mini-hotels in the country, and only some of them did get certified.

UrBC announced earlier that the Russian Duma adopted the hostel-banning bill in the third reading on March 6. To use your house or apartment as a hostel facility or hotel accommodation, you now first need to get the place re-registered as commercial property. The Federation Council will look into the bill on March 13.