airbnb

Senate gives special treatment to Airbnb

Economy/ Housing/ Politics/ Technology/ Opinion

Senate gives special treatment to Airbnb

House bill gets it right on regulating short-term rentals like lodging

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REAL ESTATE INVESTORS are increasingly reshaping local residential neighborhoods by acquiring homes and apartments and converting them into full-time tourist lodging as “short-term rentals.” What began about a decade ago with a few homeowners offering an occasional room for rent is now a hot investment trend—producing record earnings for absentee owners, but also threatening housing(...)

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Second-home owners lose out in Airbnb regs

Economy/ Opinion

Second-home owners lose out in Airbnb regs

Boston's short-term rental ban on investors hurts those who saved for future

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FOR MANY OF US, Boston is home. For others, our city is an exciting place to visit, full of rich history, beautiful neighborhoods, and fun things to do. Our welcoming community brings a wide variety of travelers looking to experience all that Boston has to offer. These visitors bring in vital tourism dollars to small(...)

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City council puts restraints on Airbnb

Economy/ Housing

City council puts restraints on Airbnb

Industry slams measure for cutting commercial units, rental caps

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THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL overwhelmingly approved tough new restrictions on short-term rentals offered by companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway, eliminating investor-owned units from the marketplace while allowing owner-occupied, two- and three-family homeowners to rent out some of their units year-round. The council on Wednesday made some minor adjustments to a proposal by Mayor Marty(...)

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Airbnb goes inhospitable

Economy/ Housing/ Politics

Airbnb goes inhospitable

The home-sharing site lays into Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu for her proposed restrictions

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GO ON THE Airbnb website and you feel like you’ve landed in a cool world with interesting people who could become your friends. “Book unique homes and experiences all over the world,” is the message greeting visitors to the company’s homepage. The message to those who would stand in the path of the multibillion-dollar home-sharing(...)

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The Download/ Economy/ Housing/ Politics

Airbnb goes inhospitable

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Go on the Airbnb website and you feel like you’ve landed in a cool world with interesting people who could become your friends. “Book unique homes and experiences all over the world,” is the message greeting visitors to the company’s homepage. The message to those who would stand in the path of the multibillion-dollar home-sharing(...)

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Senate goes light on short-term rental regs

Economy/ Housing

Senate goes light on short-term rental regs

Lodging industry pans bill as a gift to Airbnb and other home-sharing apps

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THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE has passed its bill for short-term-rentals, a stripped-down version of the House measure that simplifies the tax on hosts and eliminates any tiered structure so that people offering a single room in their home are treated the same as the investor with scores of units for rent. The Senate bill, passed on(...)

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Walsh pulls Airbnb proposal

Economy/ Housing

Walsh pulls Airbnb proposal

Mayor says more time needed to enact regulations

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JUST HOURS BEFORE the Boston City Council was set to vote – and likely reject – Mayor Marty Walsh’s proposed ordinance to regulate short-term rentals such as those listed on Airbnb, he withdrew his bill and said he’d come up with another “in the coming weeks.” “During a robust process, including s public hearing and(...)

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Rosenberg suggests House to blame for Airbnb inaction

Economy/ Politics/ Technology

Rosenberg suggests House to blame for Airbnb inaction

Senator says ‘it’s not rocket science’ to craft regulations

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SEN. STAN ROSENBERG chastised his fellow lawmakers on Thursday for dithering for years while the short-term rental industry embedded itself in the market and grew unencumbered by regulations and the lodging tax “It’s not going away, technology is not going away,” said Rosenberg, who was part of a CommonWealth magazine Newsmakers panel discussing how Beacon Hill(...)

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The Airbnb gold rush is on

Economy/ Housing/ Politics/ Technology/ Winter 2018

The Airbnb gold rush is on

Whole buildings, like this one in Chinatown, are being converted into hotels

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Photographs by Ken Richardson AIRBNB, LIKE THE draw of ride-hailing apps to car owners, started with the premise that your home can make you a little extra money by renting out rooms to travelers looking to save a few dollars. Empty-nesters, they said, could rent out junior’s bedroom now that he’s moved out and put(...)

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Economy/ Housing/ Winter 2018

Everyone knows Anthony in the North End – just not this one

Phony host names on rental site mislead as to who the owner is

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THIS STORY IS A SIDEBAR TO THE MAIN STORY: THE AIRBNB GOLD RUSH IS ON. ANTHONY WAS A popular Airbnb host. His 88 units in Boston, including about half in the North End, drew more than 2,000 mostly positive reviews over a 15-month period. “We had a fantastic stay in Anthony’s place,” wrote Carol from(...)

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