REGULATING

Laws should be in place to prevent illegal operators from driving families out of their neighbourhood

SINCE I moved to Kedah 20 years ago, I will stay at the same hotel near the Putra World Trade Centre every time I travel to Kuala Lumpur, unless I fail to get a reservation.

When that happens, I will try my luck at a nearby hotel. It had never crossed my mind to book a room or an apartment through Airbnb.

I realised this recently when a former colleague suggested I gave it a try. His suggestion prompted me to look at listings in the Airbnb portal and I was amazed to see the wide range of properties offered there.

The Airbnb story is that familiar story of “innovative sharing” of your residential space with others while, at the same time, earning a side income.

Malaysian car owners have, for some time, signed up as Uber and Grabcar drivers to earn extra income. If we can be a part-time driver for Uber or Grabcar, why can’t we be part-time landlords (host) for Airbnb’s guests?

Airbnb Inc made headlines recently when a news report from Tokyo revealed that Japan had approved the United Statesbased US$31 billion (RM132.9 billion) company to operate in Japan by prescribing rules for home sharing.

Under the new law passed on June 9, homeowners are allowed to rent out their rooms to paying guests up to a maximum stay of 180 nights in a year. The law requires homeowners to register their properties with the local authorities and to comply with terms and conditions prescribed by them.

Airbnb faced difficulties in some areas of jurisdiction not because of the landlord-tenant law, but due to local authorities’ zoning legislation.

If you own a residential unit in an apartment block, you are generally free to get any tenant you like on tenancy terms you see fit. The rental amount will be according to prevailing market rates for