Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) It was an overflow crowd at a D.C. Council meeting Wednesday about proposed regulations to Airbnb rentals in the District.

The bill, sponsored by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, includes requiring people who rent out their places short-term to get basic business licenses, allow their residences to be inspected and maintain records. It would also create a 15 day cap on the number of consecutive days a unit could be rented out as a vacation rentals. The bill supports people who want to rent out their rooms or basements to people, who would live there at the same time as the owner or renter, as a way to help pay their mortgages or rents.

Proponents argued Airbnb short-term rentals are exacerbating D.C.’s affordable housing crisis.

“A recent report by D.C. Working Families showed that the rise of short-term rentals, particularly by platforms like Airbnb that are thriving and driving those economies, is creating a dynamic in which their listings are taking out of the market housing units by families that need it,” said the Executive Director of the AFL-CIO Carlos Jiminez.

Valerie Ervin with the Working Families Party explained investors are buying multiple home or condos and converting them into full-time Airbnbs. She said rent-controlled units are even being listed on Airbnb because short-term rentals are more profitable than the long-term ones.

“While I respect Councilmember McDuffie’s efforts to address the issue of housing affordability with this legislation, Home Away and VRBO [Vacation Rentals by Owner] are not responsible for the affordable housing crisis in the District,” said Joseph Montano, D.C. government affairs manager at Expedia.

William Burns with Airbnb said they conducted a social scientific analysis of their impact on affordable housing in the District. He told the council they found only 670 units out of a total of 300,000 that were rented for more than 180 days a year. The study found the vacancy rate has stayed steady over the past several years.

Burns said Airbnb is in favor of some short-term rental regulations including limiting the number of units an individual can rent out, capping the number of consecutive nights a unit can be rented out and hosts should be licensed.

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