Exterior of Airbnb, persons are posting listings and looking for short-term leases in Fb teams. Adverts on Craigslist for leases have weekly or nightly costs listed—WIRED discovered one itemizing with a weekly and nightly worth on Craigslist that additionally seems on Airbnb, however can solely be booked for 30 days or longer on Airbnb. These off-platform leases pose dangers to each friends and hosts, who may get scammed with out the protections of larger firms like Airbnb.
Craigslist didn’t reply to a request for remark. Meta, Fb’s guardian firm, didn’t touch upon particular listings flagged by WIRED, however the firm’s insurance policies require consumers and sellers in Fb Market to adjust to native legal guidelines, and the corporate prohibits folks from selling criminality in Fb pages and teams.
Then there’s Houfy, one other web site itemizing short-term leases. WIRED discovered that lots of the listings come from friends who joined the positioning in September, the identical month New York’s new registration guidelines took impact. The intention is for friends to e book instantly with hosts—assume Airbnb with out the charges. The positioning compares costs for a similar property on Airbnb and Houfy and claims to indicate how a lot folks can save by avoiding Airbnb’s charges.
Houfy has acquired a discover from New York Metropolis in regards to the new rule and is “reviewing methods to adjust to their guidelines,” Thijs Aaftink, CEO of Houfy, tells WIRED. Aaftink says Houfy, not like Airbnb and different rental websites, doesn’t take commissions on transactions between hosts and friends, and argues the corporate “is due to this fact not a part of the transaction.” He says hosts are chargeable for complying with native legal guidelines when itemizing properties.
After the rule change, Airbnb is shifting consideration away from New York, which was as soon as its largest market. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has not too long ago said the corporate is exploring longer leases, in addition to automobile leases and eating pop-ups. And it’s got its eyes on Paris, its largest market and residential to the 2024 Summer time Olympics.
“I used to be all the time hopeful that New York Metropolis would cleared the path—that we might discover a answer in New York, and folks would say, ‘If they will make it in New York, they will make it anyplace,’” Chesky mentioned throughout an event in September hosted by Skift, a journey trade information web site. “I feel, sadly, New York is not main the best way—it’s most likely a cautionary story.”
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