Airbnb vs. Boston City Council: It’s on!

1.1 min readBy Published On: April 17th, 2018Categories: News9 Comments on Airbnb vs. Boston City Council: It’s on!

Looks like Airbnb is not too happy with Boston City Councilors and their plan to regulate the short-term rentals of apartments and homes. In particular, they call out City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu and accuse her of being in cahoots with “big hotel” and “against the interest of Bostonians.”

The email goes on to list the following problems that Airbnb has with Wu’s proposal:

The Wu proposal would place unnecessary restrictions on home sharing by:
• Placing a restrictive 30-day cap on unhosted stays.
• Prohibiting renters from sharing their homes, something not done anywhere else in the United States.
• Requiring notification of neighbors and that platforms like Airbnb collect and share an invasive amount of personal information putting your privacy at risk.

It also has a handy-dandy link to help supporters of Airbnb send emails objecting to the proposal to Boston City Councilors and Mayor Marty Walsh.

Via twitter, Wu called out Airbnb for being irresponsible and spreading misinformation. She states that she never proposed a 30-cap. She also includes a link to the proposed amendment.

City Councilor Lydia Edwards – also proposing Airbnb regulations, defended Wu via Facebook.

Take that Airbnb!

9 Comments

  1. Chuck on the E side April 17, 2018 at 9:25 pm - Reply

    Good for our city council by looking out for our neighborhoods! 796 E Fourth is a prime example of an AirBNB house that is making life hard on its neighbors. Loud, obnoxious partying happens all the time. There are multiple code violations and complaints documented on 311. I walked by on my way home tonight and there are beer bottles in the planters and general signs of neglect. Regulate these offenders and keep them out of our neighborhoods!

    • Ed April 18, 2018 at 8:33 am - Reply

      I live near that address…that seems to be like a party condo for rent? I remember the woman (owner/wife of owner?) walking around the neighborhood with a baby carriage trying to get signatures for a curb cut to park two cars after they bought it painting this picture of a poor family just trying to get parking spots. Now….there are different out of state plates there every other week and obviously just a manuever to make the place more marketable. I don’t always agree with the City council but I hope they put the scews to this industry here in Boston BIG TIME.

  2. SBHS class of 1969 April 18, 2018 at 5:01 am - Reply

    NO AIRBNB..let’s NOT turn this town into some vagrant haven so some greedy landlord who CAN’T rent out his/her condo can make $$ at the expense of neighbors.

    • Guppy (geezer urban post-professional) April 18, 2018 at 8:06 am - Reply

      Vagrant? I’ve stayed in AirBnB all over Europe and, trust me, I can afford five-star Hiltons. They are often a unique way to get deep into the local culture and, like Uber, they live and die by customer reviews so only the best survive. And they are good for the local economy. Better to drop money in a Southie restaurant than in a hotel dining room downtown.

  3. SBHS class of 1969 April 18, 2018 at 8:17 am - Reply

    Trust me..last week I visited a friend of mine at a $ 880.00 thousand condo in charlestown.. she buzzed me in ..in the hallway were 6 people with backpacks waiting IN THE HALLWAY to get in the condo next to her..the absentee landlord was nowhere to be seen..its a AIRBNB..trust me let’s keep this neighborhood not some haven for party animals packing into cpndos..beleive me the majority of AIRBNB DON’T use local bars,shops and restaurants.

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    • Bazz April 18, 2018 at 11:34 am - Reply

      6 people with backpacks more than likely in town for the marathon. If your friend lives in a “$880.00 thousand condo” trust me there are no children renting out an AirBnB next door to throw parties. If that condo is worth as much as the unit next door, they are probably charging more than a downtown hotel per night. The people renting the AirBnB in Southie can’t be any worse than the 20 idiots that walked down my street last night screaming coming from Lincoln.

  4. SBHS class of 1969 April 18, 2018 at 8:23 am - Reply

    How about “reviews” from the neighbors on a AIRBNB..looks like 796 east 4th street isn’t a great place to be a owner of property next to that particular AIRBNB..

  5. Not so New to the Hood April 18, 2018 at 10:59 am - Reply

    Can we just take a step back and look at what our counselors are spending their time on? The Airbnb “issue”…if you can even call it an issue…is about #47 on the list of biggest problems to tackle.

    There hasn’t been one action by these counselors this year to benefit the general public, not one. Every single issue they take up is this niche, micro issue that effects maybe 2% of their constituents.

    • Guppy (geezer urban post-professional) April 19, 2018 at 7:46 am - Reply

      No doubt, but it feeds right into the tired old fist-shakers who still make up the voting bloc.

      Trust me (couldn’t resist).

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