Airbnb Isn’t Going Anywhere. So Why Aren’t Cities Regulating It More?
Photo Credit: Pacific Heights in San Francisco, where heavy restrictions on Airbnb has resulted in a slew of illegal listings. Flickr / Dale Cruse
Skift Take
Cities are still trying to figure out how to tax and regulate this disruptive service 11 years after it was created — but so far most still aren’t doing a good job.
In New York last month, a judge decided to block a a city law that would have forced Airbnb to release host information, designed to help crack down on illegal listings. The city is one of the most popular locations for the homesharing service, but as many as half of Airbnb listings may break local and state laws.
It's not just New York — New Orleans and Santa Monica, along with metropolitan areas around the world, have placed heavy restrictions on the company, but have faced difficulties regulating it. The fear is the same: Airbnb is a relatively new service with with an unknown effect on the local community.
Now, a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit based in D.C., suggests that Airbnb has an overwhelmingly negative economic impact on cities, with few benefits to balance it out — and asks why cities aren't doing more to tax the homesharing service.
Among other effects, the report indicate
