Monday, November 7, 2016

Don't regulate Airbnb- Thoughts from a Superhost


With the recent debate in Arlington regarding the regulation of short-term residential rentals (a.k.a. accessory homestays or Airbnb rentals), I wanted to share my husband’s and my wonderful experience as Airbnb hosts and our concerns about these regulations. I applaud Arlington’s efforts to solicit public feedback and have submitted my thoughts to their online forum, but I wanted to provide some additional backstory.

Airbnb logo
Why we started hosting:
We rent a room in our three-bedroom condo that is owned by my grandmother. About two years ago, our roommate moved out and we were not interested in having another full-time roommate, yet we couldn’t make the rent on our own. We’d previously enjoyed using Airbnb to travel throughout the country, so, with our landlord's blessing, we started hosting. We've hosted colorful guests from Germany, England, Turkey, the Mariana Islands, and across the US, including a zen master, award-winning scientists, university president, and students presenting at conferences. That said, last year we only hosted only 17 guests for 39 nights and expect a slight increase for 2016. We have an average 4.8 out of 5-star rating from guests and have earned the "Superhost" label.

The proposed regulations:
The current regulations would require hosts to get a permit, authorize home inspections, ban serving food & drink, and limit the number of guests, in addition to a bunch of other bureaucratic red tape I don’t quite understand. Perhaps most significantly, we may be disqualified from hosting guests since we rent our condo and do not own it. I find many of these regulations to be unnecessary and expect them to have an adverse affect on the Airbnb experience and Arlington community as a whole.

Why we need Airbnb:
Airbnb brings visitors and revenue to this area, and it helps hosts like us earn money to put toward the exorbitant price of rent. Most of our guests chose to stay in Arlington through Airbnb because it is cheaper than staying in DC, thus bringing revenue to the community. Our guests have always been kind, cultured, quiet, professional, and eager to get out and explore Arlington. (Oh, and despite the fears that Airbnb guests are coming to take our already scarce parking spaces, only once in two years has someone ever brought their car). Because we rent out a spare room, we consider our guests to be temporary roommates- not hotel guests. Yet these regulations treat us like a hotel and address a problem that doesn’t exist.

Depending on which regulations pass, we may have to quit being Airbnb hosts. We don’t have the time or resources to navigate the pending red tape. What makes Airbnb so special is how it so easily connects people from all around the world to a homestay for meaningful vacations and business travel. These regulations threaten to take away exactly what distinguishes the Airbnb experience from staying in a bland, profit-maximizing hotel. I hope that the new laws won’t take away this vibrant space in our community.



Note: I submitted these comments to the Arlington County Board on November 7, 2016.

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