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We had one airbnb in Romania with lock box where we had instructions to use. We arrived in town and were exiting train station when lady comes running up shouting my name. It was the host, she had gotten off work early and knew approximate time we were arriving so came to station and stood there watching for someone who looked like the picture in my airbnb profile. She walked us to the apartment, pointing out stuff along the way, showed us the place, etc.
We had one airbnb in Romania with lock box where we had instructions to use. We arrived in town and were exiting train station when lady comes running up shouting my name. It was the host, she had gotten off work early and knew approximate time we were arriving so came to station and stood there watching for someone who looked like the picture in my airbnb profile. She walked us to the apartment, pointing out stuff along the way, showed us the place, etc.
I would advise anyone using an Airbnb type listing to do their due diligence. Many places are restricting them or out right banning them. Many condo buildings also have by-laws prohibiting them.
You don't want to show up and find you don't have a place to stay.
I would advise anyone using an Airbnb type listing to do their due diligence. Many places are restricting them or out right banning them. Many condo buildings also have by-laws prohibiting them.
You don't want to show up and find you don't have a place to stay.
Luckily for any guests Airbnb keeps a running list of places that charge tax or have restrictions on these stays beyond what would be normal at any hotel or vacation house. There's really not that many places where this applies. But for example in NYC and Miami guests might want to be careful. Airbnb does a great job of keeping this information updated for potential guests.
As for a condo building.... having spying neighbors is never fun. But I sincerely doubt a guest would be thrown out in the midst of a stay because of the neighbors. If Airbnb was not allowed in a city, perhaps. But not because of condo bylaws. I'm sure the board would go after the owner of the unit and that unit would be delisted from Airbnb
Luckily for any guests Airbnb keeps a running list of places that charge tax or have restrictions on these stays beyond what would be normal at any hotel or vacation house. There's really not that many places where this applies. But for example in NYC and Miami guests might want to be careful. Airbnb does a great job of keeping this information updated for potential guests.
As for a condo building.... having spying neighbors is never fun. But I sincerely doubt a guest would be thrown out in the midst of a stay because of the neighbors. If Airbnb was not allowed in a city, perhaps. But not because of condo bylaws. I'm sure the board would go after the owner of the unit and that unit would be delisted from Airbnb
Another misunderstanding !
Airbnb listings are not foolproof. They do, and have listed illegal rentals here in Vancouver. Besides, it's not just Airbnb, but any agency that lists short term rentals.
I live in a condo building. It doesn't take spying owners to see what is happening. When you buy a home, you buy a home. I didn't buy into a hotel.
When groups of strangers are in your lobby with suitcases, and look confused on how to use the fobs for the elevator, you know they are not long term tenants. These STRANGERS have not been vetted. They have access to our parkade, and they have access to our gym. The owners pay for the upkeep. Having people coming and going and using the facilities like a hotel, creates more wear and tear than a regular tenant would.
Don't get me wrong, most of these people are fine people, it's just that people usually do not have the same respect, or are as security aware.
However not all are fine people, and since there is NO vetting process we don't know for sure.
As for people being locked out, yes it does happen. Once it's found out to be an illegal rental, the fobs are changed in some cases.
Many buildings in Vancouver are now putting up signage in their lobbies informing any short term renter that they may be denied entry. I know my building has.
I would hate to show up and read that notice.
So by due diligence in the case for Vancouver condo's, you should do the following.
Get the name of the management company that manages the building and ask if they allow short term rentals. If the owner refuses, then you should be suspicious that it is illegal.
If the building allows short term rentals, the suite must be the owners primary residence, meaning you are probably renting a room within the condo. If it looks like it's the whole condo, be suspicious about it's legality.
Finally just Google the city you plan to visit and read their by-laws.
Luckily for any guests Airbnb keeps a running list of places that charge tax or have restrictions on these stays beyond what would be normal at any hotel or vacation house. There's really not that many places where this applies. But for example in NYC and Miami guests might want to be careful. Airbnb does a great job of keeping this information updated for potential guests.
As for a condo building.... having spying neighbors is never fun. But I sincerely doubt a guest would be thrown out in the midst of a stay because of the neighbors. If Airbnb was not allowed in a city, perhaps. But not because of condo bylaws. I'm sure the board would go after the owner of the unit and that unit would be delisted from Airbnb
Another misunderstanding !
You're the one with the misunderstanding here. If you do not belong in a condo building, yes they will kick you out. And if you don't leave, you will be considered a trespasser. There have been plenty of stories in the media about this exact situation happening to people.
I get that you want this thread to be an advertisement for Airbnb, about how wonderful and perfect it is. But on occasion things do go wrong. Just as with any other rental situation, there are ****ty "hosts" in the system.
Airbnb listings are not foolproof. They do, and have listed illegal rentals here in Vancouver. Besides, it's not just Airbnb, but any agency that lists short term rentals.
I live in a condo building. It doesn't take spying owners to see what is happening. When you buy a home, you buy a home. I didn't buy into a hotel.
When groups of strangers are in your lobby with suitcases, and look confused on how to use the fobs for the elevator, you know they are not long term tenants. These STRANGERS have not been vetted. They have access to our parkade, and they have access to our gym. The owners pay for the upkeep. Having people coming and going and using the facilities like a hotel, creates more wear and tear than a regular tenant would.
Don't get me wrong, most of these people are fine people, it's just that people usually do not have the same respect, or be as security aware.
However not all are fine people, and since there is NO vetting process we don't know for sure.
As for people being locked out, yes it does happen. Once it's found out to be an illegal rental, the fobs are changed in some cases.
Many buildings in Vancouver are now putting up signage in their lobbies informing any short term renter that they may be denied entry. I know my building has.
I would hate to show up and read that notice.
I lived in two co ops in my life.... both in major US cities. Both with restrictions on renting out the units. In both cases my neighbors rented their units illegally. One was an artist who traveled to paint at different times of the year. The other was a professor who lived overseas during the break from classes. There were short term tenants which were there by the boards standards, illegally. But even in a very restrictive form of communal ownership it's is very difficult and expensive to enforce who does what with their space. When special assessments were done to the building both neighbors paid their share. That was the bottom line...the building got the money it needed from me owners. In one instance I heard about a fine levied for renting illegally but I am not sure if it was ever paid or went beyond a slap on the wrist. When elevators need replacing and your share is in the 5 digits it's more important that the building gets your money than bothers your summer guests.
As for vetting, as I said, Airbnb allows hosts to vet. But do you get to vet the people who buy into your condo building? Can you prefer a certain type or income level? I highly doubt you have any control over who other owners might be. And they could literally be there forever. Not just a day or two.
Again Airbnb does not keep any of this a secret. When you book there is a link to the places where you might encounter any issues. Both hosts and guests have access to this information. Our properties span different locations and one is in a city where we have had to register and taxes are levied on the rental. It's not problem. That particular rental is in an oceanfront condo. It's one of several in the building. There are long term residents and short term. The bylaws state that "permission must be granted" to rent but there's no teeth to grant or not grant permission so long as one has a city permit. The board could complain but the city supercedes this. And in that location people are quite used to vacationers. If a city wanted to tax this income like a hotel I don't see anything wrong with it. Once it's regulated it's not going anywhere so long as it's generating tax dollars. So I don't see "cracking down" as a sign this is going away. Quite the contrary. In fact I was just looking at a real estate listing that was advertised as "perfect for your Airbnb!" People are starting to notice this as a valid way to invest.
There's a lot of anger and fear about Airbnb on this thread. I'm not sure I understand why. As a host and a guest I have found the experience to be very enjoyable and positive overall. I think people may not fully embrace this model because of their own preferences and that's an individual prerogative. Like anything new there resistant people out there. But there are also a lot of assumptions that just aren't true about how this all works, many of which are not based in the rules and regulations of Airbnb itself.
I lived in two co ops in my life.... both in major US cities. Both with restrictions on renting out the units. In both cases my neighbors rented their units illegally. One was an artist who traveled to paint at different times of the year. The other was a professor who lived overseas during the break from classes. There were short term tenants which were there by the boards standards, illegally. But even in a very restrictive form of communal ownership it's is very difficult and expensive to enforce who does what with their space. When special assessments were done to the building both neighbors paid their share. That was the bottom line...the building got the money it needed from me owners. In one instance I heard about a fine levied for renting illegally but I am not sure if it was ever paid or went beyond a slap on the wrist. When elevators need replacing and your share is in the 5 digits it's more important that the building gets your money than bothers your summer guests.
As for vetting, as I said, Airbnb allows hosts to vet. But do you get to vet the people who buy into your condo building? Can you prefer a certain type or income level? I highly doubt you have any control over who other owners might be. And they could literally be there forever. Not just a day or two.
Again Airbnb does not keep any of this a secret. When you book there is a link to the places where you might encounter any issues. Both hosts and guests have access to this information. Our properties span different locations and one is in a city where we have had to register and taxes are levied on the rental. It's not problem. That particular rental is in an oceanfront condo. It's one of several in the building. There are long term residents and short term. The bylaws state that "permission must be granted" to rent but there's no teeth to grant or not grant permission so long as one has a city permit. The board could complain but the city supercedes this. And in that location people are quite used to vacationers. If a city wanted to tax this income like a hotel I don't see anything wrong with it. Once it's regulated it's not going anywhere so long as it's generating tax dollars. So I don't see "cracking down" as a sign this is going away. Quite the contrary. In fact I was just looking at a real estate listing that was advertised as "perfect for your Airbnb!" People are starting to notice this as a valid way to invest.
There's a lot of anger and fear about Airbnb on this thread. I'm not sure I understand why. As a host and a guest I have found the experience to be very enjoyable and positive overall. I think people may not fully embrace this model because of their own preferences and that's an individual prerogative. Like anything new there resistant people out there. But there are also a lot of assumptions that just aren't true about how this all works, many of which are not based in the rules and regulations of Airbnb itself.
Fines for illegally renting in Vancouver are $1,000 per day. Our building has fined several owners. They can also be fined by the city for operating without the proper business license. Not exactly a slap on the wrist and shows how serious owners and the city is taking this.
The anger against Airbnb in cities that are lacking housing, is that it has grown out of control. When thousands of units that could be rented for long term residents are removed from the market.
It's also gone from individual owners to as you note, investors and not small time investors but corporations.
Any owner that has not paid all fines by a condo board, will have a lien put on their property when they go to sell here.
So, although I agree it won't go away worldwide, there are a lot less listings for Vancouver now, and anyone thinking of renting a short term rental in Vancouver better check out it's legality first. As said, and as has happened, you could end up with no place to stay upon arrival.
As for vetting, yes renters are vetted. Employment and references for starters. Owners, well anyone can buy, and you can get a bad owner, but the odds are much less. One suite may have 3 owners over 15 years. That same suite could have potentially 780 different renters if each stayed one week. No thanks.
I don't know where you live, but when you live in a popular tourist destination as Vancouver, short term rentals are a REAL problem.
I have stayed in probably 15 AirBnbs all over the US and Europe (stayed in 2 in Poland in the last 2 weeks and 2 in Spain and 1 in Hungary earlier in the year) and all have been good to excellent. I love to stay in local neighborhoods so that is why I book them. And I have found them to be considerably cheaper than Hotels. I love living (or trying to) like a local as I feel when traveling in Europe I am scouting out a possible future move.
I appreciate the "home sharing" suggestions of StealthRabbit but they get tiring, 99% of people are not remotely interested in doing that and I'm not sure why it's constantly mentioned.
I do agree that if you have stayed in 8 Airbnb's and 7 had problems that you are probably the problem. I have had fantastic service from my hosts. I stayed in Prague at one a couple of years ago, we purposely picked it because it had a washer.. The washer was old and we couldn't get it to work.. We emailed the host for suggestions, he said he would get back to us.. later that night he said hey I will be over at 11am tomorrow with a new washer.. He had the delivery people take it up to I believe the 7th floor (over 100 stairs!!!) and had it installed. Now that is service!
I appreciate the "home sharing" suggestions of StealthRabbit but they get tiring, 99% of people are not remotely interested in doing that and I'm not sure why it's constantly mentioned.
It's only mentioned by him, in the whole forum, if not the whole universe.
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