A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
nytimes.com
A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
1–10 of 186 posts
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#2Was this paid for by hotel interests? I'm really trying to understand the depth of PR in the news.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#3Five figure fines are completely unreasonable, the fault lies with NYC and the hotels who lobbied for these laws. Short-term housing is really bad for a city whose economy benefits so much from tourism; tiny hotel rooms start at 250/night. Airbnb is a really optimal solution.
My neighbor is an airbnb apartment. At first it bothered me that new people were staying there every week, but I realized the benefits. The people who stay there are always quiet and respectful, and I know the place is cleaned regularly (no rats/cockroaches coming from there). I think it works out well for my landlord too.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#4So AirBnB is supposed to know the laws of every single city/town/village/condo or home owner's association, or does this guy think New York is "special"?
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#5Five figure fines are completely unreasonable, the fault lies with NYC and the hotels who lobbied for these laws. Short-term housing is really bad for a city whose economy benefits so much from tourism; tiny hotel rooms start at 250/night. Airbnb is a really optimal solution. My neighbor is an airbnb apartment. At first it bothered me that new people were staying there every week, but I realized the benefits. The peo…
Lodging laws aren't there just to protect hotels. They exist to protect consumers and residents as well by setting standards for safety, etc. and helping pay for the services provided to guests by the municipality.
If you take AirBNB to its logical conclusion, you end up with landlords renting apartments on AirBNB instead of to actual residents, because they can make more that way -- because they're ducking the rules on offering commercial lodging, not paying for proper insurance, not paying taxes, etc.
I'm sure if someone ran a hotel but didn't bother with commercial fire codes and local taxes, they could charge less too.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#6Was this paid for by hotel interests? I'm really trying to understand the depth of PR in the news.
couldn't it simply be a genuine customer review. I honestly think there's no PR from hotel lobby here.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#7So AirBnB is supposed to know the laws of every single city/town/village/condo or home owner's association, or does this guy think New York is "special"?
Answer from the article: "Perhaps it isn’t reasonable to expect the company, which believes it’s worth at least $2 billion according to a TechCrunch report on its latest fund-raising efforts, to track down every zoning law in tiny vacation hamlets. But it can certainly make the rules clear in urban areas where it knows that people like Mr. Warren could easily end up in hot water."
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#8Was this paid for by hotel interests? I'm really trying to understand the depth of PR in the news.
I can understand your sentiment, and you might be entirely correct to presume there's an agenda being pushed.
That said, it's a legitimate story. People are breaking the law and not even aware of it. Even if it is a "hit" piece, the concern is real.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#9They should know which cities they've had issues with and let their user know so they can stay informed. Having their users post warnings about particular cities would benefit everybody.
Nothing is going to change unless a large class action suit is brought against Airbnb. I can tell you right now their site disclaimer won't help them in a court of law.
Re: A Warning for Airbnb Hosts
#10So AirBnB is supposed to know the laws of every single city/town/village/condo or home owner's association, or does this guy think New York is "special"?
Answer from the article: "Perhaps it isn’t reasonable to expect the company, which believes it’s worth at least $2 billion according to a TechCrunch report on its latest fund-raising efforts, to track down every zoning law in tiny vacation hamlets. But it can certainly make the rules clear in urban areas where it knows that people like Mr. Warren could easily end up in hot water."
I wonder if "making the rules clear" in some areas but not others opens them up to liability.