Air-rant BB Article

[Flower]

airbnb's mandate is to advertise for its members. Period. Many other marketing businesses have the same mandate. Tourism, bbcanada, etc. The difference is that the company's name and address and phone number are listed in the marketing. Not with airbnb, uber, the dog sitting ones. The under ground run business refuse to give out the members name and addresses to the powers that be. The powers that are suppose to enforce the by-laws either don't want to or do not have the mandate to do so. I did ask our city licensing department what would happen if the licensed bed and breakfasts decided not to renew their license every year and continued to operate. Nothing would be done unless there was a complaint by a guest. Same with the health department. Some of our legal b and b's are advertising with airbnb. They do supply their name and address and stress the point that they are licensed and health and fire inspected. Many of the millions of folks that use airbnb are probably paying just as much for the stay as there is a charge to the guest for using airbnb and also the businesses often charge for the second person, and a cleaning fee. It all adds up when the bill comes on their charge card..

Well CM I did that just thing this year I refuse to buy my license this year. I told them until they go after air and make them pay the same as all our B&Bs do and have the yearly fire inspection. I flatly refuse to buy a license. So time will tell what they will do...
.

I did not do that but I did get a list of legal rental licenses for short term rentals in our town from the town clerk. I then researched each air listing, found their location, compared it to the town data base with pictures and first names and provided a list of 14 properties that were operating rentals without a license.
I submitted it to the town clerk and this was the reply:We do like to contact people who are renting and may not be aware that rental permits are required. You may send me the info. I do not need pictures. Just the owners names and property location. Thank you."
We will see!
.

We are only after a i r. We did that research in the beginning . We also contact the council and told them. Plus tourist office. There answerer was it is too much trouble to hunt them down! Really after we gave you( Council) all the address of the people doing this ? And at the time the web site showing all them on their A web site. But that was there answerer. So my act of defiance is I am not buying any license to operate a B&B. We have 18 B&Bs and 32 A B&B. To much for a small town.

 

[Silverspoon]

airbnb's mandate is to advertise for its members. Period. Many other marketing businesses have the same mandate. Tourism, bbcanada, etc. The difference is that the company's name and address and phone number are listed in the marketing. Not with airbnb, uber, the dog sitting ones. The under ground run business refuse to give out the members name and addresses to the powers that be. The powers that are suppose to enforce the by-laws either don't want to or do not have the mandate to do so. I did ask our city licensing department what would happen if the licensed bed and breakfasts decided not to renew their license every year and continued to operate. Nothing would be done unless there was a complaint by a guest. Same with the health department. Some of our legal b and b's are advertising with airbnb. They do supply their name and address and stress the point that they are licensed and health and fire inspected. Many of the millions of folks that use airbnb are probably paying just as much for the stay as there is a charge to the guest for using airbnb and also the businesses often charge for the second person, and a cleaning fee. It all adds up when the bill comes on their charge card..

Well CM I did that just thing this year I refuse to buy my license this year. I told them until they go after air and make them pay the same as all our B&Bs do and have the yearly fire inspection. I flatly refuse to buy a license. So time will tell what they will do...
.

I did not do that but I did get a list of legal rental licenses for short term rentals in our town from the town clerk. I then researched each air listing, found their location, compared it to the town data base with pictures and first names and provided a list of 14 properties that were operating rentals without a license.
I submitted it to the town clerk and this was the reply:We do like to contact people who are renting and may not be aware that rental permits are required. You may send me the info. I do not need pictures. Just the owners names and property location. Thank you."
We will see!
.

We are only after a i r. We did that research in the beginning . We also contact the council and told them. Plus tourist office. There answerer was it is too much trouble to hunt them down! Really after we gave you( Council) all the address of the people doing this ? And at the time the web site showing all them on their A web site. But that was there answerer. So my act of defiance is I am not buying any license to operate a B&B. We have 18 B&Bs and 32 A B&B. To much for a small town.
.

I included a link to the air listing as well. I am not trying to hurt the local, live-in owner who needs a few extra $ for a room in their home but some of the properties are clearly out-of-town owners with several properties who can well afford to be legal. The town requires that you show up in person to get your license and reports to the IRS that you have a business. My guess is that it is not the fees and insurance that illegal air owners are avoiding so much as the federal taxes they are avoiding.

 

[Silverspoon]

airbnb's mandate is to advertise for its members. Period. Many other marketing businesses have the same mandate. Tourism, bbcanada, etc. The difference is that the company's name and address and phone number are listed in the marketing. Not with airbnb, uber, the dog sitting ones. The under ground run business refuse to give out the members name and addresses to the powers that be. The powers that are suppose to enforce the by-laws either don't want to or do not have the mandate to do so. I did ask our city licensing department what would happen if the licensed bed and breakfasts decided not to renew their license every year and continued to operate. Nothing would be done unless there was a complaint by a guest. Same with the health department. Some of our legal b and b's are advertising with airbnb. They do supply their name and address and stress the point that they are licensed and health and fire inspected. Many of the millions of folks that use airbnb are probably paying just as much for the stay as there is a charge to the guest for using airbnb and also the businesses often charge for the second person, and a cleaning fee. It all adds up when the bill comes on their charge card..

Well CM I did that just thing this year I refuse to buy my license this year. I told them until they go after air and make them pay the same as all our B&Bs do and have the yearly fire inspection. I flatly refuse to buy a license. So time will tell what they will do...
.

I did not do that but I did get a list of legal rental licenses for short term rentals in our town from the town clerk. I then researched each air listing, found their location, compared it to the town data base with pictures and first names and provided a list of 14 properties that were operating rentals without a license.
I submitted it to the town clerk and this was the reply:We do like to contact people who are renting and may not be aware that rental permits are required. You may send me the info. I do not need pictures. Just the owners names and property location. Thank you."
We will see!
.

that is brilliant - silverspoon. As a vacation area, this place is crawling with illegal vacation rentals - what is the point of getting $125 B&B room, when you can rent a 5 BR house for the same price...
And not sure how someone could go after 200 listings, when they don't include the address in their listings...
Don't mind competition, but what is the point of doing the zoning, code, safety and taxes, if it makes you uncompetitive?
.

Exactly, undersea! You go after them one by one using the street address given on the owners profile and comparing it to names and house pictures on the town data base. All of that information is on line now. The only additional information you need is the list of legal rentals to compare it to. It is a bit of work but no onerous. But if the town is not behind you in enforcing the requirements then there is no point in doing the work for them.
I am not looking at any of the other home-rental sites like homeaway because most of them are weekly rentals.... not to be confused with shorter stays at a b+b.

 

[Momma Smurf]

I am curious? What is the average cost for the business license every year.? Here it is $75 per year. I think that is reasonable. Comments?.

$60 Town License
$152 State License
Plus annual Town, State, Fire, Sprinkler Code inspections
B&B Insurance $$$
Lodging Taxes Collected $$$
Mandatory Sprinkler System 4+ Rooms
Certified Food Sanitation Handler's Course Certificate
Income Reported to IRS

 

[Generic]

City, $200 lifetime. The next level is $350 a year or so. Nothing else except taxes. I have to show them proof of licence, proof of insurance, proof we have taken a food safety course and they inspect every 2 years. They check to make sure I have a first aid kit (brand name preferred), fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and I'm registered for the taxes.

 

[Anon Inn]

I am curious? What is the average cost for the business license every year.? Here it is $75 per year. I think that is reasonable. Comments?.

250/yr B&B, restaurant, catering, $20 food handlers (2 yrs). 7.6% State sales tax, 2% local county room tax

 

[gillumhouse]

I am curious? What is the average cost for the business license every year.? Here it is $75 per year. I think that is reasonable. Comments?.

City License = $15 per year
State Registration = $25 per year
Health Dept = $50 per year
Food Handlers Card = $5 per year so $15 per throw (every 3 years for renewal)
6% sales tax (because I am in City Limits and my City did not enact the "bed tax" - at the time no lodging in the City - I cannot collect the 6% "bed tax"
Highest rate possible for real estate tax and personal property tax on everything I am stupid enough to list on my Schedule C

 

[Copperhead]

airbnb's mandate is to advertise for its members. Period. Many other marketing businesses have the same mandate. Tourism, bbcanada, etc. The difference is that the company's name and address and phone number are listed in the marketing. Not with airbnb, uber, the dog sitting ones. The under ground run business refuse to give out the members name and addresses to the powers that be. The powers that are suppose to enforce the by-laws either don't want to or do not have the mandate to do so. I did ask our city licensing department what would happen if the licensed bed and breakfasts decided not to renew their license every year and continued to operate. Nothing would be done unless there was a complaint by a guest. Same with the health department. Some of our legal b and b's are advertising with airbnb. They do supply their name and address and stress the point that they are licensed and health and fire inspected. Many of the millions of folks that use airbnb are probably paying just as much for the stay as there is a charge to the guest for using airbnb and also the businesses often charge for the second person, and a cleaning fee. It all adds up when the bill comes on their charge card..

Well CM I did that just thing this year I refuse to buy my license this year. I told them until they go after air and make them pay the same as all our B&Bs do and have the yearly fire inspection. I flatly refuse to buy a license. So time will tell what they will do...
.

I did not do that but I did get a list of legal rental licenses for short term rentals in our town from the town clerk. I then researched each air listing, found their location, compared it to the town data base with pictures and first names and provided a list of 14 properties that were operating rentals without a license.
I submitted it to the town clerk and this was the reply:We do like to contact people who are renting and may not be aware that rental permits are required. You may send me the info. I do not need pictures. Just the owners names and property location. Thank you."
We will see!
.

We are only after a i r. We did that research in the beginning . We also contact the council and told them. Plus tourist office. There answerer was it is too much trouble to hunt them down! Really after we gave you( Council) all the address of the people doing this ? And at the time the web site showing all them on their A web site. But that was there answerer. So my act of defiance is I am not buying any license to operate a B&B. We have 18 B&Bs and 32 A B&B. To much for a small town.
.

I included a link to the air listing as well. I am not trying to hurt the local, live-in owner who needs a few extra $ for a room in their home but some of the properties are clearly out-of-town owners with several properties who can well afford to be legal. The town requires that you show up in person to get your license and reports to the IRS that you have a business. My guess is that it is not the fees and insurance that illegal air owners are avoiding so much as the federal taxes they are avoiding.
.

My guess is that it is not the fees and insurance that illegal air owners are avoiding so much as the federal taxes they are avoiding.

Right on target.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Lodging (bed) license for 4 rooms & commercial kitchen (small restaurant license up to 15 people) = $700 per year
Surprise health inspection 2x per year
Food Handlers Card $10 good for 3 years
State Corp fee $50 per year
State Biz license $100 per year

 

[OnTheShore]

As a payment intermediary, Air has begun filing federal 1099-K's -- the tax man will catch up to the evaders eventually... Now state and local lodging/hotel/rooms taxes, that's another thing. So far Air has made no provision for helping listers to collect and remit these taxes (except in some cities, and only when their feet were held to the fire). At least HomeAway, VRBO, FlipKey, etc..., have a field on the listing where you can enter the tax rate!

 

[Generic]

As a payment intermediary, Air has begun filing federal 1099-K's -- the tax man will catch up to the evaders eventually... Now state and local lodging/hotel/rooms taxes, that's another thing. So far Air has made no provision for helping listers to collect and remit these taxes (except in some cities, and only when their feet were held to the fire). At least HomeAway, VRBO, FlipKey, etc..., have a field on the listing where you can enter the tax rate!.

Unfortunately, that's in the US. Of course when they issue them here... they are proof of violation of the law at $700 per room per day.

 

[Morticia]

I am curious? What is the average cost for the business license every year.? Here it is $75 per year. I think that is reasonable. Comments?.

I am curious? What is the average cost for the business license every year.? Here it is $75 per year. I think that is reasonable. Comments?

I need a state license and a town license. About $300/year. Then the fire dept inspects and the sprinkler system gets inspected. More fees. Then there's the fee for the water supply to the sprinkler system. Then there's the property tax on a business. Etc.
Then there's having tv to a business account.

 

[Copperhead]

For small lodging establishments 5 rooms or less the price of license renewal is minimal. As for sales taxes if the Establishment only rents 1-2 rooms no sales taxes are collected (MY county) 5 rooms or less not state sales taxes.
For my area I believe this is the reason the powers that be just look the other way. There is no incentive to go after them to become legal.
I asked once years ago about short term rentals and they said as far as they knew it fell under the 1 unit rule. (1 unit = 1 room) Then I said what if the owner of this rental has multiple units that they are renting? He acted like I was the bad guy bringing it up.
Several years a go an apt complex at the interstate had a huge banner - weekly rental $XX. Our hotel assoc. brought this to the attention of the powers that be. So they sent uniformed tax officers to the complex where the mgr denied it. Later the sign came down.

 

[OnTheShore]

The bill mentioned in the article linked to by Momma Smurf in the opening post, to regulate all short-term rentals of less than a full week under the lodging statutes in Maine, was voted "inexpedient to legislate" by committee -- this is old news -- but I only recently read about this aspect of it:
In the hearings on the bill, the Governor's representative was reported to have said that the Governor was indeed interested in creating a level playing field for the lodging industry, but not by regulating the AirBnB's and short-term vacation rentals, rather by de-regulating the lodging industry all together. In his mind this would free up the lodging inspectors to be re-directed to help catch up on a back-log of restaurant inspections.
It's been about a month now and I am not aware of any specific proposals that have been forward yet, but it might be something to watch for.

 

[Flower]

City, $200 lifetime. The next level is $350 a year or so. Nothing else except taxes. I have to show them proof of licence, proof of insurance, proof we have taken a food safety course and they inspect every 2 years. They check to make sure I have a first aid kit (brand name preferred), fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and I'm registered for the taxes..

We also here have to pay taxes proof of Food safety . Fire inspections every year ,first aid kit, House hold insurance ,Plan of exit if you have a fire, guest see the plan mounted on the wall in plain view. Also display hotel act beside it. Our local cost of permit is $125.00 a year. It does not matter if we are open one month or 12 months the cost is the same.