Airbnb’s Legal Woes Continue in Largest U.S. Market

• October 24, 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

An Airbnb in DC

Years after Airbnb’s disruptive entry into the short-stay market, jurisdictions are still grappling with how to regulate the service. And late last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that would levy harsh fines on Airbnb hosts in New York who flout housing laws.

In response, Airbnb has filed suit against the state — its largest market in the country — on the grounds that the new law would “impose significant immediate burdens and irreparable harm.” This is just the latest legal battle for a company currently fighting punitive laws in San Francisco and Santa Monica, California, as well as in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Berlin.

At issue is the concept of whether housing units advertised on Airbnb are being effectively turned into rogue hotel rooms rather than contributing to the overall housing supply and serving the affordable housing needs of a given city. New York has outlawed rentals of apartments for less than 30 days since 2010; towards that end, the new law will levy fines of up to $7,500 for hosts caught listing a property on platforms like Airbnb.

While this and other legal battles may be prescriptive for other jurisdictions, another debate over how to address the legality and regulation of Airbnb rentals is going on in the DC region, as Arlington County has been considering the issue this month.

How to ensure your DC Airbnb rental is legal

Meanwhile, Airbnb rentals are legal in DC if you have the proper permits, as outlined by the above chart.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/airbnbs_legal_woes_continue_in_their_largest_u.s._market/11819