DIY B&B
washingtonmonthly.com
DIY B&B
1–10 of 200 posts
Re: DIY B&B
#2Thanks for answering the question in the headline! Now I don't need to read the article.
Re: DIY B&B
#3From the article:
"For more than a year now, New York City has been enforcing a new state law that makes it illegal for homeowners like Hogan to rent out their house or apartment for less than a month. All across the city, police raids have shut down hundreds of similar informal bed-and-breakfast establishments, with nearly 1,900 different violations issued in under twelve months. Often, the fees associated with the citations stretch into tens of thousands of dollars. Hogan was threatened with a $25,000 fine—all for marketing the empty rooms in his house.
. . . .
"The crackdown in New York is similar to ones happening in several major European cities. Paris, for instance, passed a law in 2005 banning the rental of any residential property for less than a year, and began enforcing that law in 2010. London is now engaging in a wave of enforcement in the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics."
This is the first journalistic report I have seen of such widespread, persistent enforcement actions. Is this the general experience of HN participants (and, especially, Airbnb participants) in your part of the world? What is your rating of the risk of being cited for a local law violation if you list your place as a short-term rental online?
Re: DIY B&B
#4These laws seems to curb an efficient market process, which I don't like if true.
Also I think the government loses out on special taxes from Hotel business, but maybe those taxes could also be collected from these B&B type operations? Hotels have no business using the law to fight a competitive threat, in my opinion anyway. Does not seem to make sense to me.
Re: DIY B&B
#5The startup opportunity here is to streamline the process of registering a legal and proper B&B.
AirBnB should be doing this already to clear the cloud around their business, but doing so would be an admission that their current practices are abetting illegal activity.
Re: DIY B&B
#6The startup opportunity here is to streamline the process of registering a legal and proper B&B. AirBnB should be doing this already to clear the cloud around their business, but doing so would be an admission that their current practices are abetting illegal activity.
Agreed. And AirBnB would be wise to get involved politically on that front. There are the armchair ideals of unregulated markets, and then there is the reality of politically connected interests pushing legislation.
Re: DIY B&B
#7The title of this submission is unnecessarily sensational and editorializing. Using your home as an ad hoc bed and breakfast is not the same as renting it out.
Re: DIY B&B
#8From the article: "For more than a year now, New York City has been enforcing a new state law that makes it illegal for homeowners like Hogan to rent out their house or apartment for less than a month. All across the city, police raids have shut down hundreds of similar informal bed-and-breakfast establishments, with nearly 1,900 different violations issued in under twelve months. Often, the fees associated with the…
I had to take my couch offline because my HOA threatened to fine me. No more visitors, no more foreign friends. :(
It seems the first wave of enforcement has come from HOAs, I've heard of various people having to remove their listing for that reason. [1]
Now it appears, according to the article above, municipal authorities are pushing back. Could this be a result of lobbying from hotels? Vacation rentals is not a new concept, and couchsurfing has been around for years as well. It seems that just because couchsurfing/vacation rentals are getting a wider audience that it's now suddenly a problem.
I personally don't want my HOA or government telling me who I can or can not have over to stay. Their place is not in my home.
1: http://betabeat.com/2011/05/airbnb-takes-manhattan-with-2k-b...
Re: DIY B&B
#9The title of this submission is unnecessarily sensational and editorializing. Using your home as an ad hoc bed and breakfast is not the same as renting it out.
I'll change the title to be a bit better.
Re: DIY B&B
#10From the article: "For more than a year now, New York City has been enforcing a new state law that makes it illegal for homeowners like Hogan to rent out their house or apartment for less than a month. All across the city, police raids have shut down hundreds of similar informal bed-and-breakfast establishments, with nearly 1,900 different violations issued in under twelve months. Often, the fees associated with the…
I had to take my couch offline because my HOA threatened to fine me. No more visitors, no more foreign friends. :( It seems the first wave of enforcement has come from HOAs, I've heard of various people having to remove their listing for that reason. [1] Now it appears, according to the article above, municipal authorities are pushing back. Could this be a result of lobbying from hotels? Vacation rentals is not a new…
HOAs make me want to puke. Why did you agree to join anyway?