Fairbnb News
July 22, 2016
Officials from the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police as well as the State Tax Department visited 40 – 50 Airbnb apartments
and guesthouses last night in central Reykjavik following tip-offs that the owners did not have permits to rent them out. According to Sigurbjörn Jónsson at the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police, 80 percent of the places visited did not have the necessary permits.
On top of work permits, guesthouses need permits from the health and fire departments. All the owners in question were given a limited amount of time to sort out their permits. New laws on Airbnb rentals in Iceland start on January 1st 2017, in which people
are limited to renting out their homes for 90 days at a time.
Uncategorized
July 21, 2016
While the tax is significant given that it will cut into hosts’ revenue, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to ultimately trump the convenience and opportunity Airbnb offers homeowners in need of additional income over the course of the year. For travelers booking through Airbnb, the initial impact of these taxes could result in more expensive nightly rates as hosts look to make that money back. While some may be driven to bypass an Airbnb listing for a hotel room, renters will likely continue to benefit from the sheer volume of listings and the competition that results….
Fairbnb News
July 21, 2016
In Miami Beach, regulatory issues have caused safety, cleanliness and zoning concerns from residents who have complained that neighbors rent out their properties despite living in areas where short-term rentals are prohibited. Miami Beach bans the practice in all single-family homes and allows it in multi-family buildings only in specified areas. Fort Lauderdale limits the number of guests. Key West recently cracked down on home-sharing, requiring licenses for rentals lasting less than 30 days. Andrea Levinson, who sits on the board of directors of the Bridgewater Tower condominium in North Bay Village, said illegal Airbnb rentals have created a “nightmarish” situation for legal unit owners and renters….
Uncategorized
July 21, 2016
Vernon Hills is close to approving a ban on short-term vacation rentals often arranged through sites like Airbnb. Mayor Roger Byrne called for research on the topic earlier in July when officials noticed Vernon Hills homes listed on the sites. Village trustees on July 19 voted unanimously to prohibit the activity after reviewing uncertainties surrounding the new trend. Trustees Barbara Williams and Cindy Hebda were absent from the meeting. “If we deem to allow the Airbnb-kind of operation to exist, that would create a regulatory burden to us,” Village Trustee James Schultz said. “Let me be clear, I suggest that we create the language needed to prohibit (this).”…
Fairbnb News
July 21, 2016
Ever since Airbnb entered the lodging scene in 2008, the hotel industry has cast a wary eye, noting its popularity with young travelers. Despite a strong year for hotels — occupancy and rates broke records in 2015, according to the data firm STR — anxiety may be creeping into those corporate suites. Airbnb, the largest home sharing network with over two million listings worldwide, is newly targeting business travelers, the bread-and-butter clientele of hotels. Phocuswright, the travel research firm, noted that one in three leisure travelers in 2015 used private accommodations, up from one in 10 in 2011, and that 31 percent of travelers who used Airbnb in the last two years had used it for business….
Fairbnb News
July 20, 2016
I am the team manager for my son’s under-14 football team. After our most recent victory in the pouring rain, after the song had been sung and the awards handed out, I was cleaning up in the changing room. I am the last to leave most games but this time another parent was hanging around and when everyone else had gone and we were alone he said “Marcus, I have been offered shares in Airbnb; should I buy them?” Really? They are handing out Airbnb shares pre-IPO? I asked him if he used a broker, he didn’t have one. I asked him if he regularly traded shares. No. I asked him if he had connections with Airbnb. No. I asked if he had any investment experience beyond superannuation. No. How did they contact you? Emailed and contacted by phone three times. “They are relentless,” he said. Did you fill in something online? Yes. American or Australian? “Australian I think, but may have been English”. What was the name of the broker. I’d never heard of it (name withheld lest I get sued – but it wasn’t Stratton Oakmont)….
Discrimination
July 20, 2016
As it is currently written, Airbnb’s anti-discrimination policy does not explicitly bar hosts from banning guests based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Instead, it defers to “local laws and regulations” and instructs hosts to “be familiar with the laws that apply to you and your listing.” Airbnb appears to act swiftly after incidents of anti-LGBT discrimination are brought to its attention, but the policy could apparently do much more to prevent them before they occur….
Fairbnb News
July 20, 2016
Airbnb has made a deal with Los Angeles city officials to soon begin collecting lodging taxes from rentals. Residents who rent out their homes for short stays were already supposed to pay lodging taxes as hotels do, but tax officials have had difficulties tracking down hosts to collect payment. Under its agreement with the city, which takes effect in August, Airbnb, a website that helps people rent out their homes to tourists, will help in the process by collecting taxes from its hosts and handing the fees over to the city….
Fairbnb News, Uncategorized
July 20, 2016
An email was sent to all Los Angeles Airbnb hosts Monday informing them about the change. The email states: “For reservations booked in the City of Los Angeles on or after August 1, 2016, guests will see a charge for the occupancy tax. The tax will be listed separately and added to the total amount paid by guests on applicable stays—hosts will not have to do anything extra.” The agreement with the city comes as the Los Angeles City Council considers regulating Airbnb sites. Critics charge the home-sharing company is depleting the rental market and changing the character of some neighborhoods by driving out renters and bringing in tourists….
Horror Stories, Uncategorized
July 20, 2016
A Far Rockaway houseboat belonging to a TV cooking show host and occasional underground lobster roll purveyor was sunk by unruly Airbnb guests over the weekend, according to online posts by the foodie, Ben Sargent. Sargent hosts the Cooking Channel’s Hook, Line & Dinner and rose to prominence in part through his goofy lobster-roll-vending alter ego Dr. Klaw, an Ali G-like drug dealer caricature with a knack for setting up photo shoots with New York publications and, by all accounts, making and vending tasty lobster rolls. The Department of Health didn’t approve of his unlicensed operation and shut him down in 2010. Until last weekend, Sargent was also renting out a houseboat named Ziggy Stardust at Far Rockaway’s Marina 59 on Jamaica Bay, once home to the bug-and-art-infused Boatel, a floating DIY hotel concocted by a group of artists to levels of fanfare on par with Dr. Klaw. Sargent is in the process of reviving the Dr. Klaw shtick via an elaborate Kickstarter campaign seeking $45,000 to stage a “live action treasure hunt” consisting of Sargent driving up and down the coast on a motorcycle decked out to look like a lobster, seeking to “track down” Dr. Klaw and stage invite-only seafood parties. Regarding Saturday night’s sinking of the Ziggy Stardust, Sargent wrote on his blog, “I’m very bummed to tell you that one of Dr. Klaw’s best hideaways is now sitting under 15’ of water due to a bad group of renters.”…