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How Airbnb's fight to overturn a New Jersey law imploded
Residents of Jersey City, New Jersey, voted overwhelmingly in favor of strict short-term rental regulations on Tuesday, putting an end to the high-profile feud between Airbnb and local officials that had engulfed the city in recent months. The move comes as a major blow to Airbnb, which spent more than $4.2 million blanketing Jersey City in television ads, handouts, and pro-Airbnb canvassers in a campaign to quash the restrictions, which will affect a popular destination for guests looking to visit Manhattan (which is just across the Hudson River and several minutes away on public transit) without running afoul of New York's tight rules on short-term rentals.
The new rules crack down on Jersey City's booming short-term rental industry—which has grown by an order of magnitude since city officials effectively legalized the practice in 2015—by requiring that owners obtain permits and limiting who can rent out their spaces and for how long. Despite an aggressive opposition campaign, voters approved the regulations in a landslide, with current estimates suggesting nearly 70% voted in favor of the measure.
Jersey City's rejection of Airbnb suggests that the tide may be changing for the so-called tech unicorn, as the city joins the growing ranks of former Airbnb defenders turned defectors. Local government officials around the nation that had been early advocates of the company, from Arizona and Louisiana to Oregon, are now turning against it. And with Airbnb looking to do an IPO in 2020—a process that involves airing out its dirty laundry for investors—every bit of regulatory backlash counts.
This story originally appeared on wired.com.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 13 2019, @04:58PM (2 children)
As an occasional AirBnB renter myself, I have to note: other than when we arrive late at night as a chaotic family of four not knowing what the hell we're doing with the combination locks, we're pretty good neighbors. We sleep late, don't make a whole lot of noise, are out of the place most of the time anyway.
Real hell are long term renters who make the place into the local lowlife party pad. We've looked at buying some of those houses and actually had the neighbors come out and beg us: "Please buy this place and terminate their lease, Please!!! I'll pay you." Unfortunately, none of them have offered enough incentive yet to make one of those deals work.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 13 2019, @07:04PM (1 child)
You may be, but what about the next guy?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 13 2019, @07:49PM
Oh, for sure, and I'm betting the renter profile varies a lot by destination and even what's going on at that destination at the time (big football games...?)
Still, if you're in a 90% good profile with AirBnB next door, that beats the hell out of having party clan crue next door for a year straight. Even a 90% bad short term renter profile is better than the habitual bad actors - the cops will usually correct people the first few times, but the habitual partiers can grind them down and find the limit that still pisses off the neighbors but doesn't trigger arrests.
🌻🌻 [google.com]