Anyone have experience of using Airbnb as a property owner?

[4matic]

I might also have gone slighty over the speed limit driving to work today.

I can't sue you for that. But I just might for violating my rights in your illegal business. Watch your back.

[PNWbrit]

[KQ]

so what if you allowed friends and family to use a house on a weekend basis and asked for a "donation" towards housekeeping, electricity, wifi, etc.?

[old goat]

I'd like to see that hold up on your illegal hotel room sold illegally and administered illegally. Are you paying local taxes on your illegal hotel income? Denying a licensed companion animal in your illegal business would be an interesting court case. Any lawyers care to comment?

Found this on a two second search:

Airbnb is in Washington trying to get their name cleared up so their user can more confidently use their site without the fear of breaking their local laws.

Each state has their own law, but the common thread is that short term leases are in fact illegal. There are ways around it if you want to jump through hoops, fill out heaps of paperwork and deal with your local city administrators who can’t even fully explain the laws themselves. However, is it worth it? If you find yourself wanting to rent your place out for longer periods of time or frequently throughout the year, then you can of course look into obtaining a permit or license so that you don’t face thousands of dollars worth of fines plus a massive headache.

Here is State law with regard to taxes. You owe them:

http://dor.wa.gov/content/findtaxesa...ansrental.aspx

first you say short term rentals are illegal and then cite a case law about taxes for short term rentals. Which is it?
Around here private short term rentals account for most vacation beds.
The town imposes a transient occupancy tax and people for the most part pay it.

[sfotex]

Ugh, got another douchebag. Took his time leaving this morning too. I was in the garage loading the skis this morning when his LaJolla girlfriend walked by bitching about how she couldn't believe how anyone could live next to filthy animals (we have horses, its in the listing)....Airbnb already called and went ahead and gave me the money.

As you know, we arrived late last night (around 11:30pm because we decided to go eat, as discussed via text). I appreciate you leaving the door unlocked for us. However, upon arrival, we began experiencing several issues, which include:

1) Broken toilet. It flushes very slowly and/or does not flush at all.
2) In the door jam to the first bedroom in the hallway, my girlfriend stepped on a sharp object where the carpet meets the doorway and the carpet is frayed.
3) Water pressure in the unit is very, very low.
4) No information was provided for Wifi or anything else upon arrival, and one of my travel partners was unable to complete his Friday work upon arrival.

For the above reasons, our group has decided to leave the premises just as soon as we get packed up this morning, and they have already booked a hotel. With this in mind, I would like to request a full refund for the stay, as it was certainly not what was expected. I am happy to provide photographic and/or video documentation of the issues we experienced to support the above.

I look forward to hearing back from you, and I appreciate your understanding in the matter. Ultimately, we would just like to be on our way and conclude this amicably.

[mall walker]

Just FYI you can use http://www.rented.com/ instead of airbnb if you're renting out a 2nd property (they don't really deal with rooms), idea is that management companies bid on your time up front then they turn around and rent it.

[skideeppow]

Thanks Austin. That kind of confirms what I guessed...

Ive been using Airbnb for two years now. Best of the best. Easy payments, seemless transactions. I have friends who have all switched to Airbnb because of the ease of the transactions. Yes, they edit your emails so you do not contact the customer directly, but who cares. I have had nothing but great results with this.
There is also no need for a separate processing account, they do the transaction, hold it in escrow until you get paid out.

[KQ]

Seattle could regulate Airbnb rentals

SEATTLE – Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess vowed to take a look at regulating short-term rentals in a blog post this week.

“We want the benefits, but we don’t want the negative unintended consequences,” Burgess said of home-sharing sites like Airbnb and Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO).

Burgess said he worries landlords will evict tenants to make more money by renting short-term rentals.

“That potentially creates problems for the city, because it removes long-term rental housing,” he said.

Besides wanting hosts to get city business licenses and pay “appropriate” city taxes, Burgess was non-committal on any specific regulations. Burgess said it’s more likely to be easy on homeowners trying to get, and will probably be more strict on landlords or commercial companies looking to cash in.

This week Airbnb touted internal numbers showing a $178 million economic impact to the city. The company claims it helps 60% of its Seattle hosts to stay in their homes.

Shawn Telford is in that boat. He said the money he makes from being an Airbnb host allows him to stay in his Ballard home. He’s a filmmaker by day and an Airbnb host by night.

“If you find a way to make money, the government’s gonna want its cut,” Telford concluded. “I understand what they’re trying to do, but they better put a crosswalk over here and fill the potholes in my street.”

[summit]

Thinking about renting our place just for the couple weeks we are out of town... but USAA said they don't offer any sort of "occasional renters" rider and all their landlord policies are 6mo minimum.

What do you guys do for insurance? I found Proper Insurance but their quote was for a $2000 no-limits yearly policy... I mean my homeowners policy is half that.

Ideas?

[MontuckyFried]

Thinking about renting our place just for the couple weeks we are out of town... but USAA said they don't offer any sort of "occasional renters" rider and all their landlord policies are 6mo minimum.

What do you guys do for insurance? I found Proper Insurance but their quote was for a $2000 no-limits yearly policy... I mean my homeowners policy is half that.

Ideas?

Just shop outside of USAA for this one. They're great, but limited in scope in regard to the variety of situations they insure. I used Safeco for my rental. Dirt cheap for the policy. Like unnervingly cheap.

[KQ]

Walla Walla bans new short-term rentals

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) — Walla Walla City Council adopted an ordinance that bans new absentee-owner properties for use as short-term rentals.

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reports the ordinance, which passed Wednesday, puts a halt to the proliferation in the city of new short-term rentals whose owners inhabit them for fewer than 275 days per calendar year and rent them out for up to 29 days at a time.

Owners who register their rentals as businesses before Nov. 9 and show they have paid applicable taxes while operating their rental, however, may continue operating their property as a short-term rental until it is sold.

Short-term rental owners and operators were among those most fervently opposed to the ban, though many said they would favor regulations.

[Game Over]

^^I wonder if this will become commonplace?

[KQ]

^^I wonder if this will become commonplace?

Airbnb battle brews in Lansing

[Name Redacted]

Airbnb battle brews in Lansing

Vail is looking at tightening the rules as well:
http://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-t...tuesday-nov-7/

[Cono Este]

I cancelled their reservation under the contract terms for non-payment which also allowed me to retain most (if not all) of what they had paid since it was under a week from rental.

Then rented it to someone else.

Win, win. Errr win

That’s fucked up. You should have refunded them if you incurred no losses.

Never rent to, or from an attorney, or realtor. I️ learnt that the hard way renting out my house.


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[PNWbrit]

Rental agreement she signed was quite clear regarding when payment was due and when there would be no and refunds after.

[Harry]

Owners who register their rentals as businesses before Nov. 9 and show they have paid applicable taxes while operating their rental, however, may continue operating their property as a short-term rental until it is sold.

And what are the odds of that happening ?

I know our local resort tax district just bought some sort of software package that tracks VRBO, AirBnB, and other rental sites. At least 3 owners in my condo complex got busted.

[MakersTeleMark]

Thinking about renting our place just for the couple weeks we are out of town... but USAA said they don't offer any sort of "occasional renters" rider and all their landlord policies are 6mo minimum.

What do you guys do for insurance? I found Proper Insurance but their quote was for a $2000 no-limits yearly policy... I mean my homeowners policy is half that.

Ideas?

Can you get the policy, cancel it when you return, and get a prorated difference back?

[KQ]

And what are the odds of that happening ?

I know our local resort tax district just bought some sort of software package that tracks VRBO, AirBnB, and other rental sites. At least 3 owners in my condo complex got busted.

Airbnb pays all applicable taxes in WA so if individuals were using their platform they should be okay.

Airbnb will start paying taxes on behalf of the hosts in Washington state who use the vacation-home rental website. On Oct. 15, Airbnb will begin collecting and remitting taxes for hosts in the state. That includes state and local retail sales tax, as well as all lodging taxes.Oct 1, 2015

[Cono Este]

Rental agreement she signed was quite clear regarding when payment was due and when there would be no and refunds after.

Spoken like a dick lawyer. You should have given it back.


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[TBS]

^^I wonder if this will become commonplace?

It is in Bend and may in my little slice of heaven. ST rentals are crowding out locals, and there's horror stories of neighbors dealing with out-of-control vacationers.
From our local paper http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?S...ctionID=88&S=1

[summit]

Can you get the policy, cancel it when you return, and get a prorated difference back?

Possibly... won't they catch on when I do that 2-3 times a year?

[MakersTeleMark]

Possibly... won't they catch on when I do that 2-3 times a year?

I would assume so. Just like I assumed it was a couple consecutive.

[cravenmorhead]

Our condo in CO is in summit county; short-term rentals are legal, but subject to state sales tax. I had been paying the tax myself, but within the past 6 or 9 months, AirBnB has started remitting the tax directly to the state, I expect to try and get out in front of any further efforts to limit short term rentals. I'll be interested to see if it works.

I list via VRBO as well, but I find AirBnB a lot easier to work with. Better UI, easier to edit prices and calendars etc.

[Gman]

Ugh, got another douchebag. Took his time leaving this morning too. I was in the garage loading the skis this morning when his LaJolla girlfriend walked by bitching about how she couldn't believe how anyone could live next to filthy animals (we have horses, its in the listing)....Airbnb already called and went ahead and gave me the money.

In for the response....