Sudden 30-day restrictions on bookings

[Xander3]

Yesterday, without any warning, our listings in Irvine, CA were turned to a 30-day+ rentals only. It appears to have affected all the hosts in the city. 

Irvine, like many other cities, has banned short-term rental under 30 days for a few years now. It enforces the ban thru fines, which we see as cost of doing business, while waiting for changes in the regulation.  So it comes as a shock to see AirBnB restricting STRs on its own, its raison d'être . 

With such heavy-handedness and lack of any communication, small operators like us have felt abandoned.  Brian Chesky's words about putting hosts first ringed hollow. After surviving the brutal 2020, it comes as a surprise that the hands that fed us will be the ones that killed us. 

I see that this has already affected hosts in other cities before. I'd be keen to know if the situation has changed for anyone. 

Thank you.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Xander3 . Sorry but I am not sure Airbnb have done anything wrong. If they carried on promoting short stays then they would be condoning law breaking.

 You say 'it enforces the ban thru fines, which we see as cost of doing business' Perhaps you would have been better off challenging the law rather than breaking it and paying the fines.

[Helen3]

You knew the legislation was being introduced so it can hardly be surprise to you when Airbnb introduced booking restrictions to ensure hosts didn't break the law by continuing to book stays of less than 30 days. @Xander3 

They aren't doing it for their own reasons but to comply with local STR legislation; just as they do in London, Amsterdam, New York etc.

Fines shouldn't be seen as a 'cost of doing business'. Hosts who continually ignore restrictions in their area are what helps giving Airbnb hosts a bad name. 

it's rather ironic that you are coming on here to complain that Airbnb is no longer helping you break local STRs

[Xander3]

I apologize if I come across as I am complaining. I love this platform, and have benefited much from it. I am simply here to look for a solution. Tech companies like AirBnB and Uber have all navigated through the gray areas of local legal systems, often times challenging the laws as they break them.  We have legitimately provided excellent services to thousands of guests over the past 5 year, while paying corporate taxes doing so as a company.  It'd be a shame to see the effort all go away. 

[Sarah977]

@Xander3  While I'm sure this is a distressing situation, strs should never be considered to be a guarateed income, as so many things, from local regulations to pandemics to natural disasters can affect the ability to do strs.

And "It enforces the ban thru fines, which we see as cost of doing business, while waiting for changes in the regulations" is a really bizarre attitude. An attitude which just leads to jurisdictions bringing in stricter regs, and as another poster pointed out, gives Airbnb and hosts a bad name.