AITA If I report hosts who are circumventing occupany taxes by listing them in cities that don't have occupancy taxes?

AITA If I report hosts who are circumventing occupany taxes by listing them in cities that don't have occupancy taxes?

I'm seeing an influx in the cities I'm looking to book evading taxes by listing them in areas that don't. The city is in ABC, but the map shows its in XYZ. I find this out because I'm searching for ABC, going through the rules, and everything else and ???? The map shows XYZ?

 

I've traveled with friends to ABC and I've/we've always had to pitch in for taxes and there are also registrations numbers. This time I'm traveling alone. So when I ask them to confirm if it's in ABC ("yes") but why does the map show XYZ (no response) yet they still are charging occupancy taxes. Some are going as far as suggesting we communicate off platform.

 

I don't want to come off like I'm holier-than-thou but isn't the platform supposed to be about sharing, community, and whatever buzz words Airbnb uses and not lying and cheating?

14 Replies 14
Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Tony1213 If you are in the US, Airbnb remits occupancy taxes directly to the State in many places. The host never sees them. So in these cases, if a host operates this way (which sounds complicated), what's in it for them?

@Emilia42I'm aware of your first statement. I'm familiar with California taxes. I'm not talking about who collects the taxes. If anything, it's tax evasion and circumventing laws requiring you to register with the city before hosting, flagrant breach of contract and intentionally violating Airbnb terms of service.

 

So the listing city is in Los Angeles, CA but the map shows it's an In-N-Out 40kms away!

 

This comes directly from Airbnb's website https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/864/los-angeles-ca

 

"Based on Home Sharing Ordinance (CF 14-1635-S2), home sharing is permitted in Los Angeles if your listing is your primary residence. Hosts are required to register with the city and post their permit number on their listing, or claim a valid reason for exemption, in order to comply with the ordinance.

Listings without a permit number or exemption posted will be blocked from hosting short-term stays (less than 30 nights at a time) in Los Angeles."

 

I'm inclined to post the actual listing for you to see but I don't want any backlash or for anyone who sees the listing to message the host that she's being investigated.

 

 

 

 

@Emilia42I replied and posted an Airbnb link but it didn't show up. I'll try to summarize my original comment.

 

I'm not referring to who collects the taxes. I'm referring to those who registered with the city vs those who circumvent it by listing it in other cities.

 

The link I wanted to post comes directly from Los Angeles Airbnb Occupancy taxes.

 

"Based on Home Sharing Ordinance (CF 14-1635-S2), home sharing is permitted in Los Angeles if your listing is your primary residence. Hosts are required to register with the city and post their permit number on their listing, or claim a valid reason for exemption, in order to comply with the ordinance.

Listings without a permit number or exemption posted will be blocked from hosting short-term stays (less than 30 nights at a time) in Los Angeles."

 

It looks like the host doesn't want to be bothered with registering with the city and intends to rent out their room for more than limit. To me, it's a direct spit-in-your-face of the laws and rules in place.

@Emilia42@Tony1213 is correct. The host is likely dodging taxes. I was charged for lodging, cleaning and a service fee. Not a cent of taxes. Which means he/she is listing in West Hollywood where it is not required. But may be reporting the income as if it occurred in their listed "address." On closer inspection there is no face in the profile picture - just the skyline of a different city (I think it's the Empire State building).

 

Hence my wondering if Airbnb isn't catching or see these (the host certainly provides a different address in the inbox) what else is Airbnb not catching. I recognize there are millions of listings, but they could at least verify addresses.

 

Our city does require taxes be collected. But they just admitted that 700 of the 1,000 Airbnb's in our area are not licensed or registered. So they get taxes, but the city has only been going after registered hosts. I had to complain to the city council how a legal host near me got a summons to go to court for non-renewal (the portal didn't send out renewal letters so how was he supposed to know) but ignores the 700 non-registered hosts a private company identified.

 

All Airbnb has to do is check the city parcel viewer for that address. It not only verifies the name of the owner of the property, but whether they have "administrative approval" for being an STR. Then kick off anyone who doesn't have legal status (which would allow the non-investor mom and pop Airbnb's to compete fairly on price).

 

 

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Tony1213  Much that’s admirable about your impulse here, but occupancy tax is a crazy patchwork of state, city, and municipality across the country.  As @Emilia42 said, Airbnb collects in some places but not all.  If they don’t, the host is supposed to if his or her state requires it.  Add to that Airbnb’s mapping, which has driven many hosts to frustration when their listing is incorrectly placed on the map.  

So it’s a grey area, but asking to communicate off-platform is not - that’s a definite no-no, and I appreciate your understanding of that.

@Ann72I've been looking to travel to Los Angeles from Dublin. I've read all the coronavirus-related news and that I'd need to quarantine for at least 10 days. I'm looking to be in the northern Los Angeles area. I've been to Los Angeles before many time. Only this time I'm going by myself. Each time I've gone with someone, we've always had to pitch in for occupancy taxes. I looked up Los Angeles occupancy taxes and it says you must register with the city or else you can't host and your listing won't show up.

 

So when I click on a listing I like, under the listing name it says "Los Angeles, CA" but when I scroll down to the map, it's 40km away! Why do this?

 

I message the host, and she can't answer why the map is showing a location is an In-N-Out 40km from where the listing city is in. She suggests I call her on the phone and spells out her phone number.

@Tony1213  I see what you mean.  Unfortunately that is really common with the Airbnb search algorithm.  People can search my exact small town in Maine and not have my place come up, but they can search Bar Harbor, an hour away, and have my place come up on the first page.  The traveler has to be very alert to the names and places showing up on the map as they search because Airbnb does not guide them to their exact location without a lot of input - i.e., zooming in on the exact location you want and sorting things out from there.

@Tony1213 @Ann72 

Also, Los Angeles is a big city in terms of land area. 500 square miles. So it is possible for the drive from one end of Los Angeles to the other end to be well over 40km.

@Emilia42I've familiar with Los Angeles. I've done filming there so I know a thing or two about Los Angeles. I don't think external links are allowed so if you google "Los Angeles, CA" You'll see the city limits. Anything you see inside those red lines is considered LOS ANGELES Los Angeles. Los Angeles City looks like a mirror image of Thailand. It's a long history of those cities looking for support and if these smaller cities became part of Los Angeles City, they will act like the big brother.

 

Anything outside of those red city lines are their own jurisdiction, governments and what not.

 

You'll notice that Beverly Hills is NOT part of Los Angeles City and doesn't need Los Angeles City to be their big brother.

@Ann72@Emilia42 I reread what you wrote and I think you're referring to the general search. I was talking about a specific listing where the title says it's in "Los Angeles across the street from Staples Center," but the city under the title and the location on the map is in Glendale, CA.

 

If your title is say it's in your Los Angeles, then your city should also be in Los Angeles. I checked Google maps and there is no way in hell there's a Staples Center in Glendale, CA. And Glendale is 15km away!

Yes @Tony1213 the general search.  Now I understand that your search was extremely specific.  I guess the host is trying something on, because why else avoid putting the address as LA.

 

There's only one Staples Center; it's the home of the Lakers.

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Tony1213 good luck "reporting" any listing to ABB, they absolutely care not a whit.... 85% of every listing in the highly regulated town nearest to me is now and always has been unregistered and therefore illegal, sometimes when I feel like swinging at windmills I click the report button. Never matters.

@Kelly149I'm not trying to come off as someone who's trying to ruin someone's income or not minding my own business. I really don't want to be doing it but it's not right for those who have the register with the city in order to host vs those circumventing registering with the city by listing it somewhere else and then diverting you to the real place. All of this information is mentioned in the Airbnb terms of service and they are clearly violating the breach of contract.

 

I've been successful at removing 3 hosts. Their listings are gone and their profile doesn't exist. Prior to hitting the report button, I collect as much information I can. This includes screenshots of the host profile, the listing, the city, the map, the actual city, Airbnb's own terms of service.

@Tony1213  Airbnb needs you on their team.

 

Hosts near me in Maine took out-of-state visitors in June, when the state was closed to out-of-state visitors.  How do I know?  They all left reviews!  This was a case of hosts literally ignoring matters of life and death.