PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Airbnb hosts and other owners of short-term rental properties in Philadelphia could be getting some unpleasant news this week. The city has begun a crackdown on people who rent out a property for less than 30 days without a license.
The city began requiring licenses nearly two years ago under a law sponsored by City Councilmember Mark Squilla. He says hosts have had plenty of time to comply.
“If you’re still operating without a license, you no longer will be able to generate any new rentals for that property until you get the proper licenses,” Squilla said.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections began notifying online booking agents such as Airbnb and VRBO to take unlicensed short-term rental properties off their sites. L&I estimates 1,600 properties will be delisted. That’s 85% of the short-term rental listings in Philadelphia.
The law requires the booking site to remove the listing within five business days of being notified by the city that a property is unlicensed. Owners are notified at the same time, so they have time to get a license and submit it to the site to avoid being purged.
A license ensures that a property meets minimal safety and zoning requirements, such as occupancy limits and having smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors installed and functional.
Information about the process is available at Phila.gov.
“It’s something that needs to be controlled and something that needs to be under supervision.” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “And if people could act responsibly in their business dealings, we wouldn’t have to do this. But that’s not the case.”
Kenney points to recent incidents involving rowdy, out of control parties at short-term rentals as proof the measure is needed.
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Last month, three teenagers were shot in a single night at two separate parties in Airbnb rentals.
“There’s too many people who rent these places out to anyone, to adults who turn them over to kids. … There just needs to be some more regulation.”
The department recommends to travelers and guests who have reserved a short-term rental in Philadelphia that they double-check with the booking sites for advice on how to proceed.
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