Business Vancouver – Airbnb signing bonus could eat into rental housing stock

August 29, 2016
As the City of Vancouver examines the impact of short-term rental companies, Airbnb has started upping the ante by offering new hosts a $250 signing bonus. The catch is that they have to sign up by August 31, live within 25 miles of downtown Vancouver and have a minimum booking value of $100 per night. The host must stay no later than September 30. “Once you activate your new listing and host your first guest, we’ll send you a $250 cash bonus,” Airbnb notes on its website. Short-term rentals from companies such as Airbnb, VRBO, OwnersDirect and Flipkey have been controversial because many see them as taking away housing that could be rented to locals. The rentals could also help homeowners get around any empty-homes tax that the City of Vancouver enacts. The City of Vancouver earlier this summer contracted a third-party consulting firm to examine 10 platforms that provide short-term rentals in Vancouver. The city said in a July news release that the intent of the examination is “to determine how short-term rentals are affecting the availability of rental housing for families and workers in Vancouver.”…
Source: https://www.biv.com/article/2016/8/airbnb-signing-bonus-could-eat-rental-housing-stoc/