Hub councilors vote for Airbnb restrictions
Mayor Martin J. Walsh said he’ll sign the City Council’s ban to stop absentee investor landlords from turning residential buildings into de facto hotels through Airbnb — while letting live-in owners and tenants rent out their homes with limited restrictions.
The City Council voted 11-2 yesterday on the ordinance, initially proposed by and amended by councilors several times, that bans “investor units,” or those owned by non-residential landlords, from being offered as short-term rentals through weband app-based services such as Airbnb. The ban could free up as many as 2,000 residences, believed to be mostly downtown, in the city’s housing market.
Before the vote, 40-year Beacon Hill resident Leslie Kloville, said Airbnb customers are taking trash out into the streets on days there is no trash pickup, and entire buildings are turning into makeshift hotels. “It’s a disaster,” she said. But Drew Skalaban, 31, of Jamaica Plain, who works with rental investors to clean and furnish Airbnb properties, said, “The tourist money that would be going to Boston is going to go somewhere else.”
The ordinance is set to take effect Jan. 1, but would allow some Airbnb landlords to operate until Sept. 1, 2019. It will let people rent out rooms in their own flat or the entire unit, or adjacent units in two- or three-family homes. Each rental property would have to be registered with the city, with fees ranging from $25 to $200. Walsh had initially fought to restrict resident landlords’ rentals of secondary apartments. But with an 11-2 veto-proof vote, the council’s version goes to Walsh’s desk for approval.
“My goal in regulating shortterm rentals has always been to responsibly incorporate the growth of the home-share industry into our work to create affordable housing for all by striking a fair balance between preserving housing while still allowing Bostonians to benefit from this new industry,” Walsh said in a statement. “I look forward to signing this legislation and I am committed to monitoring the impacts to ensure it serves its intended purpose in our neighborhoods.”
Councilors Frank Baker and Mark Ciommo, the only no votes, said they were concerned about having too few rental rooms downtown, while creating increased pressure on the rental market in the neighborhoods. Airbnb reacted swiftly through a statement.
“For two years Airbnb and our Boston hosts have worked closely with the Mayor and members of the City Council to share helpful data and collaborate on fair home sharing policy. Today’s disappointing vote is proof that our community’s feedback and concerns were not heard. The new ordinance unfortunately creates a system that violates the privacy of our hosts, and prevents Boston families from making muchneeded extra income in one of the country’s most expensive cities. We’re hopeful there will be an ongoing discussion on these topics so that our community can continue to fight for their ability to share their homes and make ends meet.”