Dutch News – Amsterdam Airbnb fines mount up, top €500,000

March 2, 2017 Amsterdam officials have levied fines of €526,500 on home owners who are illegally renting out their properties on holiday rental sites like Airbnb since last autumn, the Telegraaf said on Friday. Earlier this week, the city fined facility company Keyokay plus property owners a total of €175,000 for breaking the rules on […]

NBC Los Angeles – Short-Term Rentals Turn Into Nightmares Next Door

March 2, 2017 Mitchell Gould and Daisy Marco thought they had bought their dream house. Tucked in a quiet neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, the house has beautiful views, friendly neighbors and plenty of room for their cats. “It’s a really quiet neighborhood. There are families and a lot of older couples,” said Marco. So […]

The Cap Times – Madison looking to hire company to find Airbnb scofflaws

February 28, 2017 Madison is looking to hire a compliance company to identify hundreds of residents who are renting out their properties on short-term vacation rental websites and not obeying the law. Hosts, those who are renting to tourists, are required under state law to pay a nightly room tax of 9 percent and obtain […]

WBFO Buffalo – Council members seek regulations for Airbnb

March 1, 2017 Operators of conventional bed and breakfasts complain they are taxed and regulated while the home-sharers aren’t. Council Member David Franczyk spoke on behalf of a Buffalo operator of a bed and breakfast who claims to have spent $100,000 to be licensed in the city. “Why should Airnb be given a pass and […]

New York Daily News – Most Airbnb hosts in black neighborhoods are white, study shows

March 1, 2017 It’s mostly white residents cashing in as Airbnb hosts in the city’s predominantly black neighborhoods, according to a new report by a watchdog website. Using host photographs, Inside Airbnb determined that across 72 mostly African-American neighborhoods, the Airbnb host population is 74% white — compared to just a 13.9% overall white population […]

KSHB 41 – Alert: check for hidden cameras when using home-sharing apps

February 27, 2017 Technology continues to get smaller and more affordable, including surveillance cameras. “You can hide them, they are easily concealable and business is booming,” said Kansas City-based security expert Anthony Burnside. That’s great for protecting your home unless that home is listed on rental sharing sites like Airbnb. “Shockingly the law hasn’t caught […]