Airbnb: Everything You Need to Know

Verifica el estado de Airbnb en cada país antes de viajar

The mobile revolution brought forth the democratization of services such as radio (Podcasts), transport (Uber) and home delivery (Postmates). Lodging has also changed thanks to Airbnb, an online platform for booking and offering bed and breakfasts, rooms and homes around the world. Airbnb may be a perfect alternative for your next trip, but is it available where you go? Even more important, is it legal there?

Airbnb Virtues and Criticisms

Apartamento con terraza en París, Francia disponible en Airbnb
Loft with patio in Paris, France available on Airbnb. (Source: Airbnb.)

For the past decade, this home sharing service has offered travelers an alternative that combines the comfort and safety of a hotel with the informal convenience of couchsurfing. It also allows its suppliers – known as hosts – to supplement their current salaries, cover their expenses when they are between jobs or even become financially independent.

However, as with Uber in many countries, unions and local governments classify Airbnb as unfair competition or even unconstitutional. This is because the hotel infrastructure cannot compete with its prices, since neither the company that manages Airbnb nor the room providers have the same regulations or they usually pay the same amount of local taxes as their competitors.

Argentina’s Clarín newspaper reported that the country currently has 487,000 rooms available on Airbnb that compete against 420,000 hotel suites. In spite of this, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants, Confectioneries and Cafés (AHRCC) alleges that the Argentine hotels pay 43 percent of the taxes required in their industry yet accuses Airbnb of not making any tax contribution. Related organizations in Mexico, Italy, Canada, El Salvador and many other nations share the sentiment. “We are used to playing hard, to compete, but how can you do it if the rules of the game are not the same for everyone?,” Asks Ariel Amoroso, AHRCC president.

Propiedad rústica con piscina en Río de Janeiro, Brasil disponible en Airbnb
Rustic property with a pool in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil available on Airbnb. (Source: Airbnb.)

Other media such as the New York Daily News and The Economist have documented protests against Airbnb around the world, where the service has been linked to real estate market increases in cities such as San Francisco, Barcelona, ​​New York and Amsterdam. Owners of apartments in these cities are accused of halting property sales or rentals to take advantage of higher short-term profits, which limits housing demands and more expensive.

Sustainable Solutions

In its defense, Airbnb seems eager to face criticism, negotiate with institutions in the countries where it operates to comply with local laws and even offer solutions to major problems. According to El País, the company has signed 500 agreements and committed five million euro to support sustainable tourism projects in regions around the world.

Also, Argentina’s Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP) assures that Airbnb and similar digital services will start paying local taxes in the next two months, other online providers such as Netflix and Spotify have in the past.

The message that Airbnb as a service wishes to convey is that there is “room for everyone in the market,” said Victoria Bramati, public affairs manager for the company in Argentina. “We support clear regulations that encourage fair and inclusive competition and avoid generating new entry barriers for ordinary people who want to offer their homes and generate extra income,” she explained.

Is there Airbnb Where I Live or Where I’m Heading?

Propiedad en los Alpes Franceses, disponible en Airbnb
Snowy shack in the French Alps available on Airbnb. (Source: Airbnb.)

If you plan to travel to a destination for the purpose of booking through Airbnb or you want make your home available through the service, what’s important is to make sure it’s available where you want it. First, visit the official website or download the app on your device (Android/iPhone). Then search for the specific destination and confirm its current availability for customers or suppliers.

Also, look for your city of interest in the following list and check if there are additional requirements for booking or operating your bed and breakfast.

Airbnb by City

  • Amsterdam: The rental of whole houses is limited to 60 days a year and will soon be reduced to only 30 days. Only a maximum of four adult customers are allowed at a time per property.
  • Athens: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Barcelona: Hosts require a license for short-term rentals and display their license number in their Airbnb listings. The local government is no longer issuing new licenses.
  • Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou/Chengdu/All of China: The government allows temporary rentals, but seizes your personal information relevant to your Airbnb listings and reserves the right to use that data at its discretion.
  • Berlin: Owners need a permit to rent 50 percent or more of their primary residence on a temporary basis.
  • Bogota: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Buenos Aires: Owners must register as simplified taxpayers to operate temporary rentals.
  • Chicago: Local laws allow temporary rentals only in specific districts, under strict conditions and if the property is not part of the city’s official “prohibited buildings” list.
  • Mexico City: Local government does not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions.
  • Panama City: Suppliers must request a public tourist accommodation permit for rentals of less than 45 days.
  • Dubai: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Las Vegas: Providers must register with the city for short term rentals and pay a thousand dollars if their home contains five or more bedrooms. Listing an Airbnb rental located less than 660 feet from an existing one is prohibited. Only a maximum of twelve adult customers are allowed per property at a time.
  • Lisbon: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • London: Seasonal full-house rentals are restricted to 90 days per year.
  • Los Angeles: Short term rentals are limited to 120 days a year. Hosts must register with the city, own the property and use it as their main residence.
  • Madrid: Hosts require a license for short-term rentals and display their license number in their Airbnb listings. Seasonal full-house rentals are restricted to 90 days per year. A law pending approval would limit apartment rentals to only those within buildings registered as hotels.
  • Mallorca: Local law prohibits temporary rentals in building apartments and houses near protected lands or airports. Qualifying providers must register with the local government.
  • Miami: Short term rentals are limited to 180 days a year. Hosts must apply for a certificate and a vacation rental license. Only a maximum of two adults is allowed at a time per room and 16 in total per property.
  • Moscow: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • New Delhi: Local government does not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • New Orleans: Short term rentals are limited to 90 days a year. Providers need to register with the local government. Local law prohibits the rental of spaces located in the French Quarter, with few exceptions on Bourbon Street’s entertainment district.
  • New York: The local government prohibits renting flats for 30 consecutive days or less, unless the owner is present.
  • Orlando: The local government prohibits short-term rentals in residential areas. Suppliers need to pay a tourism tax, obtain an operational license and another business that qualifies their space as a hotel/motel. Short term rentals are limited to 7 days a year.
  • Paris: Short term rentals are limited to 120 days a year. Suppliers must register with the city and include their license number on their page on Airbnb.
  • Philadelphia: The local government authorizes temporary rentals without a license for periods of less than 90 days.
  • Reykjavik: It is allowed to rent short-term without a license for periods of less than 90 days.
  • Rio de Janeiro: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Rome: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • San Diego: Hosts must register with the city and include their license number in their Airbnb listings.
  • San Francisco: Suppliers must register as a company and obtain certificates for short-term rentals. The registration number must be included on your Airbnb listings. The rental of full properties is limited to 90 days a year.
  • San Juan: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Hosts must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • San Salvador: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Hosts must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions.
  • Santa Monica: New York: The local government prohibits temporary rentals unless the owner is present, is registered and pays local occupancy tax of 14 percent.
  • Santiago de Chile: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Santo Domingo: The local government does not prohibit home sharing. Hosts must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Seattle: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. However, a set of regulations pending approval would force hosts to acquire a license and limit their rent to two spaces per provider.
  • Sydney: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. Suppliers must comply with Airbnb terms and conditions .
  • Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Sapporo/Hiroshima/All of Japan: Home sharing was legalized only in 2017. Seasonal rents are limited to 180 days per year. Owners must register and comply with all emergency and fire safety requirements.
  • Los Angeles: Local laws do not prohibit home sharing. However, a law pending approval would limit rentals to 180 days a year, only if the property is the principal and proper residence of the provider.
  • Washington DC: Suppliers must register as a basic business for short-term rentals.
Propiedad con sala en Toronto, Ontario, Canadá disponible en Airbnb
Flat with a living room in Toronto, Ontario, Canada available on Airbnb. (Source: Airbnb.)