Good news - it’s Friday!
Inauguration week is right around the corner, and Airbnb is taking precautions due to the recent political events in DC. Airbnb has cancelled and blocked all reservations in DC during that week.
If you are one of the homeowners or PMs that this will affect, you lucked out! You will be 100% reimbursed for the money you would have earned. No guest to host and all the money - what a deal!
If you are one of the guests that booked a house in DC for the inauguration, you’ll be refunded by Airbnb, but you better hurry over to Vrbo, TripAdvisor or Booking.com to book another property before time runs out!
It seems some people have found other ways to turn a profit using their vacation rentals instead of housing guests. In Cathedral City, a short-term vacation rental was raided by the Riverside County Cannabis Regulation Task Force. They seized 431 marijuana plants, and found the first floor had been converted into a cannabis cultivation center with a commercial generator set up. Obviously this has ruffled some feather with the neighborhood. The residents are asking support for measure B, which would apply restrictions to short-term rental properties.
In Tallahassee Florida, a new bill proposal would largely give the state control of regulating vacation rentals. This would only allow local governments to regulate these properties the same way as any other properties in the neighborhoods. Vacation rental regulations have been common in Florida, pitting local governments against platforms such as Airbnb. This legislative session will start on March 2nd to discuss the new bill, and we’ll be sure to report any news about this once a decision has been made. Let the short-term rental battle begin...again.
Vrbo has announced that they are completely pulling out of Toronto for good. This is due to the city implementing strict short-term vacation rental regulations, which kicked in on January 1st. This decision makes Airbnb the only licensed platform to operate short-term rentals in Toronto. The new regulations make it so hosts can only rent out their primary residences. Investment properties and ghost hotels are now banned. Anyone who wishes to rent out their primary residence must register with the city. The effect of all this led to condo rentals flooding the market with rent dropping to record lows, most of which stayed on the market for months.
