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After imposing taxes on units in Amsterdam, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco and elsewhere, “home-sharing” facilitator Airbnb will now begin collecting taxes in Paris, the company’s biggest market.
Collection officially begins October 1st and some see the move as Airbnb’s attempt at playing nice with city regulators. Venture Beat connects the change to Uber’s troubles in Paris, where the ride service company fought new regulation policies.
— nextcity.org
People caught running unlicensed apartments through websites will be offered the chance to have 80% of their fine canceled if they allow the city council to use the apartment as social accommodation for three years...When the three years are up the landlord [can] either pay off the fine through his or her own funds and reclaim possession of the apartment or continue offering the property as social accommodation until the council receives the equivalent of full payment of the fine. — Business Insider
More on Archinect:Airbnb now open for business in Cuba, despite anemic internet accessAirbnb rentals cut deep into San Francisco housing stock, report saysMonterey Park City Council adopts tougher penalties for landlords of illegal boarding homesAirbnb celebrates London's Deregulation Act with... View full entry
If you happen to find yourself wandering IJburg's Centrumeiland artificial island in Amsterdam this summer, you might encounter a peculiar group of art installations randomly camped out in what feels like the middle of nowhere. Although the installations alone are enough to draw in passers-by... View full entry
Between 925 and 1,960 units citywide have been removed from the housing market by hosts renting out entire units on Airbnb for more than 58 days, the [San Francisco Budget & Legislative Analyst's] report estimates. [...]
The report draws a comparison between the number of evictions in neighborhoods with the most hosts, though notes there is no way to draw a direct connection. In the Mission, for example, there were 315 hosts last year and 323 evictions.
— m.sfexaminer.com
Airbnb is sailing a full-size floating house along the Thames this week to celebrate new rules to support home sharing in London.
The publicity stunt follows the passing of the Deregulation Act last month, which means Londoners are now free to rent their homes for up to 90 days a year without risk of fines or having to secure planning permission before doing so.
— theguardian.com
For more information and your chance to stay in the floating house click here. View full entry
Whatever becomes of Facebook’s corporate future – and therefore the consequential Internet – will play out in the world of Frank Gehry. The architect’s new HQ for Facebook in Menlo Park, MPK20, opened earlier this week with plentiful Instagrammed fanfare, and Facebook recently submitted... View full entry
[Airbnb] says its model—stay in somebody’s home, pay less than a hotel would charge—will help it facilitate travel that won’t pave over Cuba’s unique character, forged by decades of isolation from its northern neighbor.
“Think about the big hotel chains coming in, with mass development,” says Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb co-founder ... “The idea here is to support growth in travel that isn’t disruptive, that actually celebrates and preserves Cuba as a distinct destination.”
— bloomberg.com
According to bloomberg.com, Airbnb is one of the first U.S. companies to extend operations into Cuba since diplomatic ties between the two countries were re-opened last December. The article refers to "a broad range of colonial architecture ... at extremely low rates". Apparently Airbnb was quick... View full entry
One lucky soul will get to enjoy an unforgettable night in one of Oslo's most iconic destinations later this month: the topmost floor of the JDS-designed Holmenkollen ski jump will be turned into a cozy, fully furnished Airbnb penthouse for the winner of a recent online contest.From the contest... View full entry
Controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb, one of the most visible players in what is being called the “sharing economy,” has recently awakened the innovation vs. regulation argument in all the usual ways–and a few new ones, including the accusation that these short-term rentals are depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in pricey metro areas like San Francisco and New York City. — 6sqft
Is airbnb a threat to the affordable housing market? The hotel industry collects and pays a city a transient occupancy tax for the service they provide, while airbnb historically has not. Housing advocates note that in cities like NYC and San Francisco properties are being leased by single owners... View full entry
Sunday, October 12:A classic American look, feng shui notwithstanding: Investigating the impact of wealthy Chinese immigrants on suburban Seattle's real estate boom.Saturday, October 11:Indiana Ponders Abolishing Licensing for Architects: Part of a state-wide reconsideration of more than "... View full entry
The city’s board of supervisors voted to legalize and regulate short-term stays through a controversial piece of legislation that has been two years in the making [...]
The key changes include a limit on non-hosted rentals for up to 90 days per year. [...]
[The hosts will] also have to pay the city’s hotel taxes. They — not Airbnb — are responsible for certifying that they’re only hosting 90 days a year and for keeping records that prove this.
— techcrunch.com
For two days on the cusp of fall, a gaggle of mayors, journalists, technologists, and civic-minded entrepreneurs convened for The Atlantic’s CityLab 2014 conference in still-balmy downtown Los Angeles. The full title, "Urban Solutions to Global Challenges", jumps off of the presumption that... View full entry
The National League of Cities announces the formation of a network composed of business, policy leaders and city officials to identify the regulatory challenges posed by the disruptive technologies that power the sharing economy.
The Sharing Economy Advisory Network will create and promote model solutions that can be adopted by communities across the nation ... The Network will also look to identify ways that cities can support and encourage the growth of new businesses in this space.
— nlc.org
City governments aren't often so nimble when it comes to adjusting regulations related to the "sharing economy". Without formal industry precedents, it's difficult for cities to know how to integrate these new services into preexisting policies, or whether they should be outlawed entirely. So in... View full entry
In collaboration with vacation rental site Airbnb—no strangers to zany marketing campaigns—an Ikea locale in the Sydney suburb of Tempe, Australia is opening up three of its showrooms to overnight guests for the price of just about $10. [...]
The flatpack furnishing giant also promises a "remarkable wake up call," which hopefully includes some lingonberry jam toast delivered straight to guests' MALMs.
— curbed.com
The Brooklyn-based artist couple Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao have constructed a bed & breakfast cabin inside their own house that they rent out on Airbnb. The idea for a A Cabin in a Loft was based on the house-in-a-house concept.
[...] Both micro-houses have a bed, a storage space and a semi-private garden space. The space between the structures contains a kitchen and a table for dining and working, and is further used as a combined living room by the hosts and the guests together.
— popupcity.net
