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Important Warning For Anyone Using Airbnb
When I first heard of Airbnb it sounded like Couchsurfing but without the creepiness.Now don't get me wrong, I love the concept of couchsurfing, but for some people the idea of crashing on someone's couch/bed/floor/kitchen for completely free sounds a little too good to be true. There must be a catch, right? (For the record, there often isn't. It's just nice people who want to meet travelers, including the Bedouin guy in Jordan who lets people couch surf in his cave).
Which is why when Airbnb came along it seemed a bit more, how shall we say, legitimate.
Sure, you're still sleeping in a stranger's house, but since they're charging you money all the psychological weirdness about the situation goes right out the window. It's kind of like a hotel, but in someone's house, and thereby it's much more acceptable. Right?
Well, according to a recent article by the New York Times, in many cases that's exactly the problem.
In this trying economy it would only make sense that people rent out an extra room in their house as a means of supplementing their income, but according to the New York Times article, many local laws aren't exactly accepting of this win/win form of subletting.
The article cites a man in New York City who hosted guests in his East Village apartment, only to see his landlord slapped with $40,000 in fines for violating local laws. Out in Maui, where I live, anyone caught operating a "transient vacation rental" without a permit can be subjected to fines of $1,000/day if caught by the local authorities, so the issue is one, which spans both sides of the country.
The sticking point, of course, is if you get caught. Enforcement on this sort of thing is lax at best, so you pretty much need a neighbor or community member to rat you out in order to be discovered. Still, it's skating on thin ice.
So is it illegal to host someone on Airbnb? Apparently that depends on where you live, and the website makes this apparent in their terms and conditions. For some Airbnb hosts who are in hot water, however, these terms aren't made clear enough by the company and leave many users taking risks they are unaware of.
While Airbnb will likely remain a popular service, if you plan on renting out a room or serving as a host, be sure you're aware of the local laws, lest you receive a knock on the door that isn't from a paying guest.
[Photo Credit: OuiShare via Flickr]
So is it illegal to host someone on Airbnb? Apparently that depends on where you live, and the website makes this apparent in their terms and conditions. For some Airbnb hosts who are in hot water, however, these terms aren't made clear enough by the company and leave many users taking risks they are unaware of.
While Airbnb will likely remain a popular service, if you plan on renting out a room or serving as a host, be sure you're aware of the local laws, lest you receive a knock on the door that isn't from a paying guest.
[Photo Credit: OuiShare via Flickr]
Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Budget Travel, Internet Tools, Consumer Activism, Travel Deals
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Christine Dec 1st 2012 11:17PM
That's exactly where I heard the same thing, in Maui when I called a Bed and Breakfast before heading over there a couple of months ago, and she was all 'hush hush' about things. Wow, interesting! Thanks!
JB Dec 2nd 2012 2:58PM
Some decent places on AirB&B, seems like legit people just trying to make a little extra cash by renting out a guestroom for a night or so. Saw one crazy offer though in Northern California where a guy was asking $85 to sleep in a non-functioning van in his driveway, said you were welcome to try to use the bathroom in the house if needed but with 8 other people living there it was hard to get into.
urhaz Dec 2nd 2012 7:18PM
Of course you can't do anything to make a little extra money to help ends meet unless the government gets their share.
john Dec 2nd 2012 8:45PM
Guys... I travel the World 6 months out of the year (work the rest of the time) and stay at Guest House for as little as $20 a night (SE Asia = starts at $7 a night). I get my places from Agoda.com. Why not try them?
I agree with URHAZ fully. But come on... sleeping on someones couch. It that really needed? It is good information that has been posted in this story, so just be quiet about it; you are their friend staying and nothing more.
Kevin L Dec 3rd 2012 6:50AM
There's a reason this is unlawful -- a safety reason. If you're the one who gets assaulted or worse by staying in someone's homemade "BnB" you will realize too late the foolishness of such a deal.
The safety in backpacking the world via unknown private home hosts is over.