DNAInfo Chicago – Airbnb Crackdown Goes Into Effect After Months Of Delays
March 15, 2017 WRIGLEYVILLE — Homeowners who use home-sharing platforms like Airbnb now have to pay an extra tax, and the number of units in buildings that can be rented out are capped, under new regulations that went into effect Wednesday. The revenue from the 4 percent tax is expected to generate $2.5 million to […]
Statesman – Austin’s battle over short-term rentals moves to the Legislature
March 15, 2017 Austin’s battle over regulation of short-term rental properties rages on — now in the Legislature, which is considering a measure to overturn Austin rental rules. The proposed bill, from state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, would bar local jurisdictions from prohibiting short-term rentals and allow jurisdictions to regulate them only for […]
NJ Record – Regulate Airbnb like any other business
March 15, 2017 In this era of heightened awareness and “see something, say something” directives, it’s wise for local communities to know if someone in town may be renting out their home or apartment through the proliferation of new short-term rental websites, such as Airbnb or FlipKey. Essentially, these short-term rentals are creating hotels in […]
San Diego Union Tribune – City attorney says short term rentals not allowed in San Diego
March 15, 2017 Short-term vacation rentals, which have become a divisive presence in many San Diego communities, are technically not allowed in residential or commercial areas, City Attorney Mara Elliott concluded in a memo released Wednesday. Her legal opinion runs counter to that of her predecessor, Jan Goldsmith, who in the past said the current […]
CBC News – ‘It was bait and switch’ says Winnipeg man after booking luxury condo in L.A. through Airbnb
March 14, 2017 A Winnipeg man thought he had booked a dream vacation but it turned out to be a nightmare after the condo he rented through Airbnb was anything but glamorous. “When we arrived, the unit was not at all the one advertised, it was completely different,” said Daniel Guenther. Guenther, his husband Chris […]
The Real Deal – Hotels want level playing field with Airbnb: CRE panel
March 14, 2017 A panel of commercial real estate developers on Tuesday touched on Airbnb, Zika virus hysteria and financing challenges builders in the commercial sector are currently facing. Diego Lowenstein, CEO of Lionstone Development, addressed the escalating conflict Airbnb is facing in Miami-Dade County. “We want a level playing field,” Lowenstein said. “They should […]
San Francisco Chronicle – Local Readers vent about Airbnb: The good, the bad and the ugly
March 14, 2017 My columns on Airbnb last week hit home with a lot of readers. Some offered their own horror stories. Others rushed to defend a rental service they rely on for supplemental income. And some tried to map out a nuanced, middle-ground position that they felt is missing in the heated debate over […]
KTVU – 2 Investigates: Ex-Owner of troubled hotel fined for illegal Airbnb listings
March 14, 2017 San Francisco’s Office of Short-Term Rentals has fined landlord Alice Tse tens of thousands of dollars as of Monday for illegally renting out properties on the home sharing site Airbnb. 2 Investigates has been reporting issues at Tse’s Empyrean Towers hotel in downtown Oakland for more than two years. In 2014, KTVU […]
Chicago Tribune – Chicago set to roll out Airbnb rules after months of delay
March 14, 2017 After three months of delays, Chicago’s ordinance imposing stricter regulations on Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms could soon go into full effect. Implementation of some rules within the ordinance, approved last summer, has been held up in federal court since December. On Tuesday, a judge denied a motion seeking to temporarily block […]
The Irish Times – Airbnb requires greater regulation, Dublin City Council told
March 13, 2017 Airbnb currently operates without any regulations in the Republic despite generating more than €25 million annually for hosts in Dublin alone, with tourists using the service spending almost 10 times that amount, Dublin City Council’s housing committee has heard. The monthly meeting of the committee on Friday was told that last month […]