(Photo credit: memyselfandtheinterstate.com) |
Every month Airbnb took my rent from my credit card. That made everything easy. I would use the site again.
Los Angeles, Santa Monica and many cities are trying to put rules into effect to prevent or limit property owners from renting to Airbnb customers. One rule being considered is the renter has to stay at the property for at least a month. I can see both sides of the debate. Hotels are losing revenue, but finding affordable accommodations is difficult for vacationers. Renting out a condo or apartment is a way for people to make some extra money. However, other tenants have a right to be concerned when a constant parade of strangers stays in their building. No one knows when one of these strangers could pose a threat. One other consideration to keep in mind, private Airbnb landlords are not held to the same rules as hotels are. When vacationers have problems, they have few options.
Some of the people renting their apartments have a lease which states they cannot sublet or rent to anyone else. For example, I knew someone who rented out his apartment is a huge complex. He knew that it was against the rules of his lease. He decided to rent it out anyway and was caught when the leasing agents happened to see the listing on the Airbnb website. That was not the fault of the website. The guy knew what was in his lease.
Airbnb is filling a gap in the short-term rental markets of cities. If they are concerned, the cities should try to come up with a fair plan for all involved. Finding affordable short-housing is challenging and Airbnb is just trying to help.
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