Post by High Priestess on Sept 3, 2016 1:31:31 GMT
I'm happy to let you all know that Airbnb is suing the city of Santa Monica over its very restrictive laws on home sharing.
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airbnb-lawsuit-santa-monica-20160903-snap-story.html
Excerpt: "The ordinance mandates the property owners, or “hosts,” meet requirements such as posting their business licenses on their online listings and adhering to city fire and building codes. The law also subjects data held by the rental websites to review. Property owners and rental websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway could face civil and criminal penalties for violating the law.
“Santa Monica's clumsily written law punishes hosts who depend on home sharing to make ends meet and travelers looking for low-cost accommodations near the beach,” said Alison Schumer, a spokeswoman for Airbnb. “The city is unwilling to make necessary improvements to its draconian law, so while this isn’t a step we wanted to take, it’s the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.”
A lawyer said this about Santa Monica's law:
"But Eric Goldman, a Santa Clara University law professor who has reviewed Santa Monica’s law, questioned the legality of the ordinance. Goldman said the way Santa Monica crafted its language requires Airbnb and other rental websites to ensure that property advertisers are in compliance with the city’s laws.
“They’re trying to hold the website accountable for what their advertisers are doing,” Goldman said. Federal law “doesn’t allow that.”