Portland mayor eyes crackdown on short-term rentals
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland’s mayor is planning to introduce an ordinance that would force online short-term rental companies like Airbnb to take down unpermitted rentals.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the proposed crackdown in Oregon’s largest city follows a federal court ruling in March that dealt a legal blow to Airbnb’s long-held position that it is not responsible for policing unpermitted listings on its site.
Portland’s revenue division has been trying to reach a voluntary agreement with the company for more than a year over unpermitted rentals.
The city says Airbnb’s latest offer represented a step backward, so it is preparing to try a tougher tactic: an ordinance that goes after Airbnb’s profits.
The draft ordinance, which could undergo changes, would prevent Airbnb from collecting booking fees on unpermitted rentals in Portland.
It’s modeled after a similar ordinance in Santa Monica, California, that was recently upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The ordinance would give short-term rental booking sites two options: rely on a registry of permitted short-term rentals that the city provides, or agree to share data about hosts and take down listings the city flags as illegal.
Portland’s regulations require hosts to get a safety inspection, pay a permit fee, comply with rental or HOA agreements, and limit the number of months a person can rent their entire home or apartments.
