The more I think about this and how it impacts me as a landlord, I am starting to see Airbnb as (warning: the following analogy is not perfect) the Napster of lodging. I think they'd better step up and become the iTunes of lodging in this regard, before more news stories like this start creating a rift between landlords and Airbnb.
I don't think it's that much of an issue, really. The problem isn't on Airbnb's end. It's on the renters that are giving up their rental property without examining the contracts that they signed. Airbnb could probably be treated the same as subletting or renting out the property, so any clauses in the lease/association contracts that covers that should cover Airbnb.
The important thing for you, as a landlord, should be to make this clear on the contract. Whether it's increasing the deposit or rent if the renter wants to open up the property to Airbnb-like usage or just not allowing it period, it should be clear in the contract.
EDIT: Airbnb actually does state this in their terms of service:
>Accordingly, you represent and warrant that any Listing you post and the booking of, or Guest stay at, an Accommodation in a Listing you post (i) will not breach any agreements you have entered into with any third parties and (ii) will (a) be in compliance with all applicable laws, Tax requirements, and rules and regulations that may apply to any Accommodation included in a Listing you post, including, but not limited to, zoning laws and laws governing rentals of residential and other properties and (b) not conflict with the rights of third parties
Sure, but why not actively reach out to landlords (and city governments, etc)? Wouldn't it be better for Airbnb and everyone else if both (a) and (b) became less likely to be impediments?
I am in a fairly rare position where I'm feeling that I would actually be receptive to advocacy (and I'm a very stubborn person), but nobody's advocating anything to me yet. I feel like a music publisher in the year 2000 saying "Great idea! What would you like to see in a downloadable music service?"
What can Airbnb do? They're not a party to any agreement that a landlord has with their tenants, and I don't think they want that.
You're a landlord. You mentioned in another thread here that you have a strict "no subletting" clause in your contracts with your renters. What could Airbnb do to change your mind? Nothing, I would wager. They don't offer insurance to their client hosts, so they're definitely not going to assist with your insurance.
They could advocate for making a "no subletting" clause less restrictive, and show some data, or at least give a rationale for why I'd want to do that.
I'm totally willing to change my mind. In fact, I'll probably take that step on my own when I rewrite my lease. I would just like to know other people's opinions on best practices instead of taking a shot in the dark, and Airbnb seems uniquely positioned to come up with something.
What would be bad is for stories like this to create a backlash from landlords against Airbnb and reduce the usefulness of the concept.
Sometimes capitalism gets in the way of distributing goods and services. Usually when people try to decide what other people shouldn't and shouldn't do with things they sell to them.
I agree, but unlike the weird ownership issues that come with, say, copyrights and boxed software, this is a case where I quite literally still own something, and I'm letting someone use it for a fee. Laws put all kinds of restrictions on me, but some decisions on how my property is used still stay mine.
Let's be frank: landlording has never been socially productive. All the actual services provided by a landlord can be provided by a homeowners' association in a condo or cooperative building. It's really just a class division, an issue of bad public policy, and an issue of the balance of local housing markets between renting apartments, buying condos, and buying houses.
