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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm no proponent of illegal rentals, but I also think we also have to acknowledge that there's a wide latitude between units that lack a BBL because they have serious safety issues and units that lack a BBL because of issues that are not unsafe but are difficult to correct. A center beam in a rowhouse basement that's a few inches lower than the limit for rentals is not a fire hazard; virtually everyone who has such a beam and doesn't rent their basement uses it as finished space without issue. Utilities that are not separated by unit are not a fire hazard. On the other hand, overcrowding, insufficient egress, those are very serious issues.

What we should really have are a set of more limited restrictions for getting a BBL that are solely focused on fire safety, coupled with more stringent enforcement of those limited restrictions. Maybe some of the eliminated requirements could be replaced by disclosure requirements to tenants. The current regulations end up pulling a lot of units out of the rental market that might otherwise be available, and that tenants would be happy (and safe) to live in. This exacerbates our issues with affordable housing, and it probably actually makes much of the remaining housing less safe by ensuring that many rented units go uninspected to avoid the more onerous restrictions that have little to do with safety.[/quote]

BINGO.

As noted on the other thread, t's perfectly legal to use your basement apartment as an Arbnb without jumping through all the hoops required -- many of which are not safety related -- to rent the apartment out long-term.  And why is that?  It's because the city wants to make sure that Arbnbs benefit actual residents who want/need to supplement their incomes to afford their housing -- not people who want to start a business that displaces residents.  Insisting on so many ridiculous requirements to rent out your basement long-term undermines the city's efforts to provide more affordable housing.

[/quote]

For up to 90 days a year! Enjoy that. Also, insurance policies in place and I gotta say I’m not seeing too many dodgy basements to swoon over on AirBnB[/quote]

You don’t understand the new Airbnb law.  Look again.  If you’re living upstairs you can rent out the basement through Airbnb for as many days as you’d like.  There’s no 90 day limit.  [/quote]

No, there’s a consecutive up to 30 day limit. How many of these you think you can cobble together and make it worth your while? At what price? Who wants an illegal basement unless it’s dirt cheap? AirBnB is a clever way for DC gov to mute the my basement should be legal crowd. Now it’s your opportunity to not make any real money and you can’t complain. And I think it’s a bit harder to get around AirBnB rules than cheat the DC government [/quote]

Yea, I’m sorry but you just don’t understand the law or economics.  The law says you can’t rent to the same tenant for more than 30 days as an Airbnb.  Fine.  The overwhelming majority of Arbnb rentals are for less time than that.  And many basement apartment owners have made the calculation that, even taking into account days when the apartment is empty, they still come out ahead with Airbnb because they charge by the night which is typically more expensive than by the month.  Plus you have the luxury of empty space for part of the year that you can use personally.

In fact, this is the VERY reason for the new law restricting Airbnbs.  The city determined that too many landlord were being enticed by the greater earning potential of short-term rentals and were removing too many places from the long term market.  [/quote]

I totally do get it. Maybe what I think is worth my while and inconvenience and cleaning fees and insurance and overhead and the hassle is just not the same. I don’t think your basement airbnb can compete with prime properties and I wouldn’t rent it. In fact, we just looked at a super host 5* place in Europe and cancelled because they didn’t disclose it was partially underground. Got a full condo penthouse for barely $10 more per night. That’s what I’m talking about. But if the economics work for you, go for it.

I’m questioning the possibility that anyone who has a unit that would otherwise not be possible to license and goes airbnb route, would make bank. It certainly will not be making the money it could on rent. So it could still be worth it for some. But I think tens of thousands is more like ten thousand per year if you’re very lucky. Worth it? Dealer’s choice. [/quote]

See, now you’re humming a different tune - because you’ve been proven wrong.  It may not be worth the hassle to you, personally, and you personally may not want to rent a basement, but the broader market disagrees with you and that’s why DC changed the law.  None of this is about you. [/quote]

You have no idea if the broader market disagrees. We’ll find out. Air BnBs that were so popular weren’t illegal basements! Trust me.[/quote]

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