Attention Chicago hosts

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Attention Chicago hosts

If you have a one night minimum, your calendar has been blocked to reservations! Yes, just like that, no warning, no explanation. If you change to two night minimum you get unblocked immediately. Airbnb does not allow one night reservations in Chicago citing a non existent ordinance. Not sure what their end game is but it is what it is. 

12 Replies 12
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Inna22  See Michelle's post on this thread she started, about halfway down the page:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Chicago-Issues-Travel-Order-Requiring-Anyone-Traveling-t...

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Inna22  You might want to go back and see if you've received any messages from either Airbnb or the Chicago Department of Business Affairs. 

 

It's been going on since June.

 

From Airbnb, July 2nd:-

 

"We recently reached out about the Health Commissioner’s order in the City of Chicago that requires hosts to stop accepting new one-night reservations in entire units until June 30, 2020. Since then, the Health Commissioner has updated the order to extend through July 31, 2020.


In light of this new directive, we will be blocking calendars for future one-night bookings from July 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020. The City has also required that any previously booked one-night reservations of entire units with check-ins from July 2-July 5, 2020 must be cancelled at this time. We’ll reach out to guests to communicate this information and will cancel any such reservations on your behalf. Guests will receive a full refund.

You can find more information about travel restrictions and advisories in the Help Center, or check out the Resource Center to learn more about how we’re supporting our global community during this difficult time."

 

Here's the notice I received from Dept of Business Affairs back on May 2nd.  There was another one back on Apr 9th. 

 

"DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
CITY OF CHICAGO
 
 
NOTICE OF ENFORCEMENT PENALTIES FOR SHORT-TERM RESIDENTIAL RENTALS BEING USED TO HOST SOCIAL GATHERINGS
 
Please be advised that any short-term residential units (shared housing units, vacation rentals, or bed-and-breakfast establishments) that are rented out and used to host social gatherings of more than ten people, and thus, in violation of the Governor’s updated COVID-19 Executive Order No. 30 (hereinafter “Order”), will result in citations issued to and/or arrests of attendees, as well as citations to and/or revocation of the license or registration held by the owner or operator of the unit. See Order Section 2, Paragraph 3.
 
Short-term residential hosts who continue to operate by renting out their unit must implement measures to ensure that their unit is not being used by guests to facilitate social gatherings that would violate the Governor’s Order. 
 
Short-term residential hosts can be cited for violating the Governor’s Order, which can result in fines ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. See Municipal Code of Chicago (hereinafter “MCC”) Sections 2-25-110 and 4-4-295. Guests in attendance of such gatherings can also be cited for violating the Governor’s Order with fines ranging from $100 to $500. See MCC Section 2-112-340.
 
Furthermore, the MCC already makes it “unlawful for any shared housing host to permit any…egregious condition to take place within the shared housing unit.” MCC 4-14-050(a). An “egregious condition” is defined as “the use of a shared housing unit by a guest for commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, holding out the unit to members of the general public as the location of a party, amusement or event…” MCC 4-14-010. Lastly, Shared Housing Hosts are required to “immediately notify and cooperate with the police department if the shared housing host knows or suspects that any…egregious condition…is taking place in the shared housing unit.” Violations of these MCC sections can result in fines ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 for each offense or revocation of the host license or registration."
 
 
Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Michelle53 @Sarah977 Yes, I am fully aware of these emails. This time it is different. Instead of making my minimum 2 days, they blocked my entire calendar. This happened to multiple other hosts in Chicago

@Inna22  The calendar blocking only applies to one-night stays. I just confirmed two 3-day bookings.  . The minimum stay doesn't make any difference. I have a one-night minimum stay. 

 

The glitch, though, appears to be if you try and extend a reservation by one day. 

@Michelle53 I am glad it is working for you but any host that offered one night stays, even if they were blocked by airbnb would be fully removed from search. This has been documented by many. Perhaps you did not offer one night stays or changed then to two yourself prior to this or got a glitch that was actually to your favor. Cograts on the two bookings!

@Inna22  I do offer one night stays. I haven't ever changed that setting. Minimum 1 night, maximum 7 nights. People seem to be finding me. It might be that, if they are requesting a one night reservation, it isn't giving them any results from the search. But longer stays are going through. 

 

If people are only offering one night stays, as a business model, they're out of luck, for the moment. 

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Illinois Executive Order 2020-32. 

 

Intent of this Executive Order.  The intent of this Executive Order is to ensure that the maximum number of people self-isolate in their places of residence to the maximum extent feasible, while enabling essential services to continue, to slow the spread of COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible. When people need to leave their places of residence, whether to perform Essential Activities, or to otherwise facilitate authorized activities necessary for continuity of social and commercial life, they should at all times and as much as reasonably possible comply with Social Distancing Requirements.  All provisions of this Executive Order should be interpreted to effectuate this intent. Businesses not specifically addressed by this Executive Order generally should cease activities and reduce to Minimum Basic Operations.

 

https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/Executive-Orders/ExecutiveOrder2020-32.aspx#:~:text=ensuring%20that%...

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Hi all,

I just received an email notice extending the one-night block on reservations to August 31st.

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Mayor Lighfoot is considering banning one night stays altogether, as well as implementing a license fee structure. 

 

https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2020/07/27/lightfoot-proposes-stricter-rules-on-short-term-rentals/

 

Hi there!

 

I was directed to this thread while attempting to get some answers to our issue here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Two-Day-Minimum-Booking-Issue-with-Airbnb....

 

I was wondering if this matter was ever solved for you; or if you knew whether the ordinance is still in place. I'd greatly appreciate any advice 🙂

 

Thank you,

Liri

Tagging you here, @Inna22, as still a very active member of the community. Any insights you'd like to share, would greatly be appreciated. Thank you!

@Liridona4 Thank you for the tag. as far as I know that was a permanent change to the ordinance and not a Covid measure and still in place. You can google the full ordinance and I recommend you do that. While it is a fairly boring read, you do need to comply with a few things that are not intuitive (exit signs etc). I was once fined for something very silly by the city.