Hello Airbnb hosts,
Currently in Collingswood, a small suburb outside Philadelphia, there is a zoning battle going on regarding Airbnb. Recently, the township has been handing out cease and desist letters to hosts in the town and saying that hosting others via Airbnb and other 3rd party sites is not permissible and could warrant fines. This is highly unfortunate because the 3 member governing body that decides the fate of hosting people via Airbnb does not fully understand the benefits the community, hosts, and guests receive from the services provided. The governing body is under the false pretense that Airbnb is rampant with drug and alcohol fueled parties and will lead to a housing crisis and absentee landlords in the area. (For a more comprehensive back story please see the article below chronicling the Airbnb controversy).
http://www.njpen.com/collingswood-airbnb-crackdown-yields-lots-of-chatter-few-solutions/
As fellow hosts it would be invaluable if you could help by writing to the three members of the governing body (emails below) and sharing your positive experiences/situations that you or your guests have benefited from by using Airbnb. Whether it’s highlighting how local businesses are receiving more customers in your area because guests visit their restaurants, how a family didn’t have room in their house to accommodate relatives visiting so you as a host provided a place to stay that was closer than a hotel, or a million other examples, I think by hearing positive stories about Airbnb we might be able to shift the governing bodies view of Airbnb and help educate them on what the platform provides. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and hope you will lend your voice in support of allowing Airbnb to survive in Collingswood.
Jim Maley (Mayor) Jmaley@collingswood.com
Robert Lewandowski (Commissioner) Rlewandowski@collingswood.com
Joan Leonard (Commissioner) JLeonard@collingswood.com