Hey, there! Log in / Register
Councilor: City needs to keep Airbnb and its ilk from turning residential areas into hotel zones
By adamg on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 7:11pm
The City Council on Wednesday considers a request to begin looking at possible regulations over online services that let people rent apartments, such as Airbnb - and even Craigslist.
Councilor Sal LaMattina (North End, East Boston, Charlestown) says Boston needs to look at the burgeoning services before Boston's residential neighborhoods are harmed. In his request for a hearing, LaMattina writes:
Typical short-term lodging establishments - such as hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, hostels, resorts, or inns - are regulated and taxed in a different manner than other commercial entities, including special fire safety requirements, state and city hotel room occupancy taxes, local convention center taxes affixed to hotel room rental, strict occupancy limits, among other various requirements. ...
These types of rentals have raised concerns and created problems in Boston and elsewhere when the spaces are used for loud or late-night gatherings and when the rentals lead to unauthorized access into condominium or apartment complexes, violations of City trash, parking and noise policies, or turn neighborhoods zoned for residential living into impromptu hotel districts.
The council's regular meeting begins at noon in its fifth-floor chambers in City Hall.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 LaMattina's request for a loding hearing | 135.78 KB |
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
well...
air bnb seems pretty awesome but it shouldn't forced on the other residents of a building. especially owners. I see a whole new standard condo docs in the future...
Condo docs
Every condo association I've ever lived in has had a clause like "You may only rent out your whole unit and may not do so for a term less than 12 months," so maybe it's common language. Certainly it can interfere with qualifying for FHA loans if others in your building are doing it. I used to have to sign mortgage docs as a trustee, and almost everyone single one of them was super concerned that the property was not hotel-like in any way.
But from what I understand this hasn't stopped people from listing their apartment (or rooms in their apartment) on airbnb here or in other cities. I wonder if trustees are afraid to enforce this or are just not really aware of the problem.
On the other hand, I definitely understand the appeal of the service...
Happens in my large condo building, too
Condo rules prohibit it, but the person renting out their unit like a (noisy, disruptive) weekly hotel room is friends with a trustee.
How this happens: Most of the current trustees are a strange mix of incompetent, calculating, and of deteriorating mental health. But a sufficient voting bloc of the resident owners are nice old ladies who can't imagine that anyone could do a bad job at something, much less be conniving.
Many of the other owners are not engaged, because they have yearly renters, and the remaining resident owners don't want to get involved in the obvious crazy. Then the nice old ladies and the uninvolved don't understand why the condo has these surprise large expenses from facilities failures and the occasional lawsuit.
Sound familiar? Bad officials gain office by appealing to blocs of the uninformed voters, sensible people don't get engaged, bad officials proceed to mess things up badly, while handing out favors to their friends.
It's your basic Masshole microcosm.
Almost in a terrarium form for humans called a condo.
You have Ditzes, aka the 'nice old ladies"
You have the Disgruntled, such as yourself.
And boy do you have Grifters,as in the weasel trustee.
These patterns replicate at the micro and macro level.
Hey
That's not fair. It's a microcosm for just about anywhere, Massachusetts is not alone in this.
Get off your anti Mass hate box and go outside and relish in this amazing summer we're experiencing. The weather's gorgeous, not humid, great breeze and a nice mid-70's temp.
Jeebus. At least go take a walk on your lunch break, there is loads that is good out there, just open your eyes..
Condo trustees
Perhaps the worst trustees in a large condo are those who are secretly planning to sell their unit.
You must live in my building,
You must live in my building, 156 Porter St.
In the bylaws of a condo purchased in 2013
I went over the bylaws and checked for this before my aunt moved in. It is clearly stated in the bylaws (written in 2011) that no more than 2 of the 10 units can be rented. Those rented units must be approved as rentals, and the leases cannot be less than a year. Limit two years.
It is also clearly stated that units may not be used for nightly rental or guest lodging purposes.
One person didn't bother to check this, and was freaked out when the other owners figured out that she was renting her unit through Air B&B while she was traveling abroad with her boyfriend's band (randoms coming and going in the compound tipped them off). She made some lame comment about "I approve everyone who gets access blah blah millennial excuse blah" and then was angry and pouty when told that she could no longer book any more people and had to stop after August 1st (they could have made her stop immediately, but people were being nice about not upsetting the plans of the renters). Never mind that it was, in this case, explicitly forbidden in the bylaws that she signed when she bought her unit.
And, yes, there were problems with the common laundry facility and renters being rude about removing laundry to do theirs in a hurry, doing laundry after quiet hours, etc. That, and the intercom/combination lock on the courtyard kept breaking because it was being overused (the owners have keys).
I'm happy all of you shut her down.
What would have happened to her if she actually didn't stop?
Fines and other sanctions
Also, the bylaws allow for cease and desist orders, if things got to the lawyer up stage.
It can get tricky
Like swirls says, you fine them. If they don't pay, you just keep fining them. If they simply refuse to pay, your only recourse is lawyers (expensive) or wait until the place is sold. When sold, the association has a lien and can collect funds when the transfer is made. It can get nasty when someone cannot pay or simply stops paying their condo fee.
Related. my large condo had
Related. my large condo had an elderly unit owner who decided she didn't want to pay her condo fee anymore. She hadn't lived in the unit for years, and though subletting is allowed, she kept the unit vacant. She was clearly in the wrong, we lawyered up, but you can't squeeze blood from a stone. She wouldn't pay, and the only asset she had was the apartment. It was a very unpleasant situation. We eventually got to the point where we were doing our best to force a sale. I think this woman had dementia, and it took a while for her family to realize what was going on with the apartment. Her son finally stepped in. Once he got involved, the process went smoothly and he quickly put the apartment on the market.
But meanwhile, the unpaid fees added up, and she eventually owed the condo association something like $25,000 in fees, plus our attorney's fees. The money came out of the sale proceeds. Luckily, the couple who bought the apartment have been excellent owners so far.
Some condo associations (like mine) have escalating fees
Warning, then $100, then $200, then $400, etc. We've never yet had a violation go past the $200 step. But this is an interesting wrinkle.
"I approve everyone who gets
awesome.
What is a millennial excuse
What is a millennial excuse exactly?
"I should be able to do this
"I should be able to do this because I really really want to."
Haha. You people are so
Haha. You people are so pathetic. Bikes, parking and now millennials, all you people do is bitch and complain.
Yes, we don't just accept the status quo, and we're not going to just roll over and let the older generations who ran the country into the ground, and are continually stuck in the way things used run, tell us how to live. We're not the ones who fucked up the economy but we have to deal with it and figure out a way to support your asses later in life after you completely wipe out social security.
I've said it here before, adapt of get the hell out of the way. Now get off my lawn pops.
Thank you for proving my
Thank you for proving my point.
Your point was older
Your point was older generations have effectively destroyed America and now we're getting to deal with it? You sure didn't express that very well.
Maybe a millennial can explain to me why millennials cheat
at pub trivia. Every millennial team in my local looks up answers on their smartphones, then high-fives and cheers when the Google answer they submitted as their own is announced as the correct one.
This is baffling to me. If everyone cheats, the game becomes a multi-way tie for first at Googling, not at trivia, which is about knowing stuff that was pretty useless to begin with, but is now completely useless in an era where everyone has Google and IMDb and Wikipedia in their pocket, except in pub trivia settings.
I suspect the answer is, "We really want that crappy $25 prize and have no concept of honor or fair play", but maybe a millennial can explain otherwise.
Seriously?
This is the issue you bring to the table?
Why did the baby boomers give huge tax breaks to corporations who outsourced all the American jobs?
I suspect the answer is, "We really needed another yacht, so who cares about the rest of our fellow citizens and the future of the country." But maybe a boomer or Gen Xer can explain otherwise.
So I guess Zetag can't or won't help me on this question, which
further illustrates a stereotypical trait of millennials, I'm afraid: that they tend to duck tough, unflattering questions about themselves. Maybe another, more self-reflective millennial can answer that pub trivia one.
(Incidentially, zetag, I'm a late boomer / early Xer who is just as pissed as you at the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republican greedbags that my generation voted in again and again to sink us into our current mess. I mostly voted for the other guys at every level; don't blame me.)
tend to ignore tough or unflattering questions about themselves
You consider a trivia cheating accusation a tough or unflattering question? You live in an interesting world.
I hardly ever play trivia, and when I do I don't use my phone, it eliminates the point. I could just sit at home and read wikipedia if I wanted to learn useless information.
How about you stop stereotyping all millennials for being lazy, cheating, contract violating douchebags, as someone else so eloquently put it, and we can stop assuming every baby boomer and gen xer destroyed the economy. Same as all yuppies aren't assholes, all Israelis aren't bombing Palestine, and everyone upset in Missouri isn't a looter. Sound like a plan?
Still ducking the question, I see, all while
yelling about stereotyping entire generations after stereotyping entire generations yourself. (Stuff like: "Why did the baby boomers give huge tax breaks to corporations who outsourced all the American jobs? I suspect the answer is, 'We really needed another yacht, so who cares about the rest of our fellow citizens and the future of the country.'")
And I thought millennials were all about irony.
Clearly, cheating at pub trivia in itself is a trivial issue, and my sample size is too small to be statistically significant. It's just illustrative of a larger stereotype about millennials, specifically, laziness and ethical hollowness justified by overweening self-entitlement. The same moral rectitude that allowed them to blithely pirate music, videos and software their entire lives apparently extends to cheating at a game in such as way as to obviate its entire point.
I can see why you wouldn't want to acknowledge whether there's any truth in that stereotype, nor pause for a second to consider how it came to be.
What was the question?
You asked a question about trivia, I answered it.
No. You still ducked it.
I asked for a millennial's explanation of why entire teams of millennials at my local would cheat at pub trivia on their smartphones, week in and week out, and then cheer and congratulate themselves for getting the right answers.
You replied, "I myself wouldn't cheat at pub trivia", and acknowledged that it is indeed staggering that people could so entirely miss the point of a game. That's an answer, but not to the question I asked.
How am I supposed to know?
I can't answer for anyone other than myself. Why do people cheat on their score cards at golf? That's been going on for as long as its been a sport. Why did Rosie Ruiz cheat at the marathon?
You're taking something that has always been around and trying to make it seem like this is something millennials have brought into the world. You're delusional.
Thanks for continuing to duck the question
There's nothing more droll and ironic to behold than the naked lack of self-awareness of a whiny, petulant millennial accusing his elders of his own worst faults.
Sure thing.
Troll.
This raises another question:
Why don't millennials seem to understand what a troll is? The way millennials use it, apparently it means, "I've got absolutely no retort, so I'm going to question your motives in challenging my arguments." That ain't what a troll is, ridiculous young person.
I answered your question, you
I answered your question, you didn't like the answer. Some millennials cheat at trivia, some boomers cheat at golf. Six of one, half dozen of the other. If you'd like to sit down and have a generational debate sometime I'd be more than happy to.
Here's some help
When you want to resort to ad hominem because your rhetorical quiver is empty, try "Idiot" instead of "Troll". It's more intellectually honest, and demonstrates that you grasp the simple Internet concept of trolling.
Name calling!
It crosses all advertising person definitions of Americans!
Where the golf analogy falls down
I'm not a golfer, but the way you cheat at golf -- dropping your ball for a better lie, deliberately miscounting your score for the hole, etc. -- is effectively point-shaving. The quality of your game will still be obvious (one can't hide a crap short game); you can't turn yourself into a pro-level player just by cheating. And if caught, you'll carry a mark of shame forever among your peers and friends as a cheat.
Rosie Ruiz got caught, and was so widely ridiculed and ostracized for it that her name is now synonymous with the ignominy of blatant cheating, at least to Marathon fans of a certain age.
By contrast, Googling for answers in pub trivia is like picking your ball off the tee, running down the course with it, and dropping it in the hole for an ace every time: it's an overwhelming advantage over non-cheaters (one notorious group of millennial cheats at my local gets a near-perfect score every time they show up -- they're not even subtle about their cheating), and it entirely subverts the essence of the game. Further, if a millennial gets caught cheating, the predictable answer will not be embarrassment, but, "Relax, dude: it's just a game." It's the imperviousness to shame, and the obliviousness to the sporting essence of the game (however trivial), that is the millennial's unique brand of generational cheating douchery.
And one more thing about golf
Golfers don't cheat. If you cheat at golf, you are not a golfer. Period. Google Cameron Tringale if you have any questions.
No true scotsman....
Particularly meaningful with the golf analogy... etc etc.
#FirstWorldProblems
#FirstWorldProblems
juvenile
juvenile
MC, you're way out of line.
Try asking an African-American acquaintance, "Why do you people do X.
But it's OK for Zetag to say
But it's OK for Zetag to say "You people are so pathetic"?
I disagree about trading in this particular stereotype
Stereotyping of minorities is often used as a way to continue their oppression. When millennials become an oppressed minority, instead of another in an endless line of younger generations whose faults we elders can mock and shake our heads at, I'll apologize for pointing out that -- as evidenced by the only people who appear to be cheating at my local's trivia night -- many of them are lazy, unduly self-entitled brats with dubious ethics and poor sportsmanship.
I've already said, "Look, that's obviously a stereotype, not a golden truth, but I wonder if any millennial has the guts to acknowledge the stereotype and consider how it came to be." That's hardly in the same neighborhood as racial stereotyping.
Completely Disagree
Zetag is doing a horrendous job at proving his or her point and throwing around some bs assumptions about elders in the process, but I'm going to call out the statement about how many young people are "lazy, unduly self-untitled brats with dubious ethics and poor sportsmanship" as disgustingly ageist. Swirly's comment about "millennial excuse[s]" was completely unnecessary as well. I'm not sure how many young people you work with or have as friends, but the ones I interact with are conscientious and have a good work ethic (though, yes, I do run across a "bad egg" once in a while). I acknowledge my own bias as a 29 year old (I believe that makes me a Millennial myself) as well as the ageist crap my female friends who are over 50 encounter every day, but I've seen and experienced how these negative stereotypes of Millennials play out in the industry that I work in (my first career was in the healthcare sector and to be honest, age didn't seem to be as big of an issue there). To use a concrete example, we were searching for someone to fill a management position, and my coworkers were laughing at and being skeptical about a candidate's abilities, NOT because of her experience level, but because they looked at the candidate's graduation date and came to the conclusion she had to be "young enough to be our daughter." That's just one incident that illustrates how these assumptions can have a very real impact on young people, and I could certainly list more. So anyway, I'd appreciate it if everyone in this stupid thread could take it down a notch.
To get back to the original topic, I like AirBnB and it came in handy a few years ago my husband and I were significantly less wealthy and needed a room to stay in Boston for the weekend while apartment hunting- but folks shouldn't go against their rental agreements. At one point in time, we considered offering our spare room to folks on AirBnB, but immediately abandoned the decision when we realized it was against the terms of our lease. Plus, I really do not like the thought of residential areas turning into short term housing- housing is hard enough to find in this city and if there's one thing I do NOT like about the neighborhood (Brighton) I live in, it's the transient nature of the residents. I think it's worth having some dialogue on the topic.
Ageism suggests
prejudice based solely on age. In fact, the admitted stereotype I'm examining has much more to do with the time and manner in which this particular younger generation was raised. It's not just a function of their youth, but a specific set of attitudes and behaviors that is unique to their generation, not common across 20-somethings of every era.
To give a concrete example, my pub trivia generally has 50-80 participants, about 70% of them are millennials, and almost all of the millennial teams appear to blatantly cheat. As I said, not statistically significant, but an interesting small slice.
If...
If a team of millennials are cheating, that's their fault.
If 70% of the teams at your pub are cheating, that's the DJ's fault for not enforcing his rules by glancing up from his iTunes more often.
It's Will LaTulippe, isn't it?
Oh, zing!
Oh, zing!
Actually, if 70% of the millennials are cheating,
it's their fault, period. Whether or not the host enforces the no-smartphones rule, cheating is cheating.
I could stand up and say, "You kids are pathetic", but even if they could be shamed, which I doubt, they'd just find another pub to cheat in. We play, the kids cheat, and my pals and I manage to win regularly anyway, despite playing a clean game: so be it. It's also good business for my publican on a slow night; I don't want to ruin that for him.
But seeing the little shits cheat and then slap themselves on the back, week in and week out, is an extraordinary thing.
Counterpoint
I'm going to argue that it's still a harmful stereotype, no matter what you call it. Not your assertion that "Millennials cheat at bar trivia," (I haven't played bar trivia in 7 years and my team hated people who cheated.. I assumed others who cheated were doing it because they were asshats, not because they were young), but the thing about most Millennials being entitled brats, for the reasons I listed in my other post.
Boo-fucking-hoo! The obvious
Boo-fucking-hoo! The obvious answer to why those people cheat is that they want to win and are willing to cheat to do so. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But, please, just stop trying to prove your point about how awful that generation is (I am not one) by complaining about cheating during a fucking bar trivia game. That just makes you look like a real dick. And a sore loser.
I like AirBnB and it came in
Well, that's the proverbial rub, isn't it? How many renters or condo owners do you think there are who have agreements that allow them to rent or sublet their residence on a per-night basis? How many cities and towns are there that don't have regulations against using private residences as ad hoc hotels?
AirBNB's entire business model is based on ignoring the rules (because that's how things work now, MAN!) and assuming that they can get away with it based on the volume of violators. And, unfortunately, it seems to be working, to the tune of ten billion dollars and counting.
I hear ya..
"How many renters or condo owners do you think there are who have agreements that allow them to rent or sublet their residence on a per-night basis?"
Ha, yes, well, I honestly didn't know the answer to that question as someone with very little rental experience as a tenant or landlord, and as someone who was living in middle-of-nowhere, Bible Belt, USA (chance of earning dollars by renting residence on a per-night basis: zero) until I moved into my current residence in Boston. Or should I say.. AS A NAIVE MILLENNIAL. ;) But now that you mention it, yeah, I can't see it being kosher for the vast majority of renters. Point taken.
Here You Go
Thanks!
We're not going anywhere or changing our ways anytime soon, so get used to it! hahaha
Way to contribute to the
Way to contribute to the mantra of your generation: "No f you, dad!!!!!!"
Kind of like the hippies in
Kind of like the hippies in the 60's? This isn't a new thing. All older generations will look down on the younger ones. Your parents did the same thing to you, they just didn't have a platform like this to spread their ignorant, short sighted beliefs.
We're not going anywhere
So you'll be living in your mom's basement for the foreseeable future?
Burn.
You got us good with that one. hahaha
I thought millenials were
I thought millenials were supposed to be gungho about globalization?
Yeah, "Fuck you I won't do
Yeah, "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!!!!"
Oh wait, that was written by a crusty old Gen-Xer... um, "party in the USA"? "Music is my boyfriend?" [insert skrillex noise here]
No but seriously that is a wide brush you paint with, if we are to each be held accountable for the worst of our respective generations you have a lot to explain in the way of school shootings. I'll take a Ponzi scheme over an elementary school massacre anyday of the week.
Millenials/gimmiedats are
Millenials/gimmiedats are trained on having easy access to anything. Why bother retaining knowledge or learning when it's at your fingertips instantly?
There are apps/websites where students pay to have college essays and homework written for them now. The justification: "college is too expensive and I can't be bothered to invest my previous time into everything." I think that's a sign of the times.
You obviously don't know....
... that us older folk started pre-paying increased SS taxes way back in the Reagan administration in order to cover our still-many-decades-away retirements -- but that Pres. Bush and his buddies pissed all that money away in huge tax cuts for the rich and then by charging two wars on our national credit card.
And how exactly is that the
And how exactly is that the millennials fault? Most of us couldn't even vote for George Bush the first time around, or even the second time around for that matter.
You're right - we shoulda just ignored 9/11
Wasted all that money rooting out terrorist camps in Afghanistan and rebuilding the economy after what 9/11 did to the nascent post dot-com crash recovery.
Your low budget alternative to finding Bin Laden and his henchmen and digging us out of an economy that was cratering?
(Iraq you may have a case - although about those WMD's - did the inspectors happen to look in Syria where a giant cache of chemical weapons has mysteriously appeared near the factory of one of Mr. Hussein's international pals? You know, the ones the Syrians ended up using on their own people? Hmmmmm, coincidence?)
The fiscal problem....
... was doing nothing to _fund_ the wars -- while leaving the tax cuts (intended, in large part, to wipe out the "excess" SS reserves) in place.
As to meaningful and useful WMDs in Iraq. No, just no.
Invading Iraq was a war crime -- and it caused immeasurable harm. Afghanistan, on the other hand, was botched -- due to Cheney and company's desperation to get into Iraq as quickly as possible.
Might actually agree with you in parts
Tax cuts probably helped for a while - I think many forget how bad the economy was - but should have been lifted - 2004 earliest and 2006 latest.
WMD's - actually probably agree with you - but there is some interesting circumstantial evidence that what was found in Syria may have once been in Iraq (the yellowcake thing was a fraud but apparently pulled the wool over a lot of people's eyes - Dems and Reps).
Don't know about war crime - but in hindsight appears to have been poorly planned, poorly executed and poorly ended (gotta put that last one on Barry - admittedly dealt a bad hand). My one reservation is we didn't know one way or another what this guy had - wouldn't let the inspectors in - and he had a funny track record of starting wars with his neighbors and lobbing missiles into Israel. We'll never know - but that war may have ended up saving a lot of lives. And can't even imagine where we'd be if one of his crazy kids ever got his handle on the steering wheel.
Wars with neighbors....
... that (1- Iran) we either funded, supported and armed (along wih our Saudi best buddies) or (2 - Kuwait) accidentally greenlighted through mis-communication (we thought we okayed some limited "self help" regarding blatantly illegal oil rustling, but our up-till-then-BFF Saddam misinterpreted this -- and our other good buddy the Saudi king inisted that we roll things back).
Saddam was a bad, bad man. But the US has neither the capacity, nor the right, to topple every bad government (which we dislike) -- and our track record when we intervene is uniformly rotten.
Oh -- not an Obama fan at all -- but we had to get out of Iraq because our once-upon-a-time new BFF Maliki wouldn't agree to let us stay (unless we gave Iraqi courts jurisdiction over misdeeds by our troops in Iraq -- something Obma couldn't possibly agree to).
Hey! I resent being lumped in with the Boomers!
As a youngish GenXer, I don't want to be lumped in with those damned Boomers who have run the country into the ground for their own benefit! And I sure as hell won't be lumped into that category by a whippersnapping Millennial! At least you have time to recover and make an alternative plan!
You damned Geezers and whippersnappers can both get the hell off our lawns (wait, we don't have them - we're all still "starter condos", now with children!)!!!
Wherever will they live after college?
Maybe the new luxury condos should be built with basements?
Excellent summary of our Gen
Excellent summary of our Gen X generation and how screwed we are!
As an older GenXer I agree
As an older GenXer I agree about not wanting to be lumped in with the boomers. If anything we should be criticized for being so passive and putting up with their (boomers) BS. Or maybe we were simply naive. All I know is that I, and many of my college schoolmate/friends, "paid our dues" working under boomers but received little to nothing for the hard work, unpaid overtime, etc. I don't blame millennials for for not wanting a traditional career.
Millenials
Millenials are justified in not trusting the status quo.
There are arguable generalizations that one can make about the entitlement, arrogance, smugness, and general annoyance of Millenials. But those qualities are far from universal among Millenials, and far from unique to Millenials.
While Millenials are subverting the dominant paradigm, they should remember that we're all in this together, and that there were generations in between Boomers (the original Millenials) and themselves. You know, generations that did the hard work to develop the Internet and the electronic gadget products that Millenials claim as their own. Don't be getting too big for your britches just yet, or something an old person would say.
Subversion
The central philosophy of subverting the dominant paradigm is not every man for himself.
I have no problem with subversion. Declaring oneself above accountability for one's actions is not subversion. "I'm sorry that you're upset but I'm just going to keep being a douche" is not subversion. That is selfishness.
I have noticed that the older edge of this generation is being humbled. They seem to be adjusting to the realities of making a living without losing their creative edge, perhaps gaining focus from learning their boundaries. These are the people who are putting together small business ventures like microbreweries and maker communities and bike shops and such. Independence teaches lessons that indulgent parents couldn't.
In the meantime, we can continue to poke fun at people like this, who clearly don't understand why we have fences and that life isn't an experience buffet: http://www.wisn.com/news/woman-kicked-in-face-by-giraffe-angry-about-get...
Hilarious example of unearned millennial self-entitlement there
Police: "You climbed a clearly-marked do-not-cross zoo barrier. That's a citation for potential animal endangerment."
Idiot millennial: ""I got hit in the face by a giraffe. I don't need a fine and this on my record. I don't harass zoo animals. I'm an animal lover."
Police: "Here's your citation anyway. Welcome to the world of adults. Yes, we recognize that yours will only be a brief visit."
Don't you understand that
Don't you understand that this is how things work now? You old people may be fine with your "fences" and "restrictions" that "protect" the animals, but in today's internet-enabled world, such physical obstructions are meaningless. I couldn't have endangered that giraffe because I love animals, and nobody ever hurts the things they love. Just like that old song, "You never hurt the one you love." Q.E. Fucking D. Get used to it. We're going to be around for a while. Unless we decide to climb into the lion pit next.
And, of course the millennial
And, of course the millennial turns this into, "It's not MY fault! I should be able to do whatever I want because YOU screwed up the economy!"
Calm down and go pay off your student loans, like the rest of us did.
Although your loans were
Although your loans were likely much easier to repay because they didn't add up to a mortgage. States used to, in your day, contribute a lot more to education, but that's no more because Boomers wrecked shit, leading the feds to withdraw funding from states, and states to withdraw funding from education, all causing a huge surge in student loans. So, yes, Millenials (I am not one) will pay off their loans - someday - but it's certainly no thanks to dipshits like you that were part and parcel of their loans being such a burden.
There are several
Primarily, it is "this is how the world works now", "I didn't think it would be a problem" and the ever popular use of "sorry" and "excuse me" as commands (to move aside, to stop questioning/challenging, etc.) or as a way to say "I'm sorry you have a problem with this but I'm going to keep doing it".
It may be just a young thing, but I don't remember people my age being so sure about plunging ahead as if the rules they agreed to in writing were entirely optional because "cool new thing".
This is very much a generation which has been raised to believe that it is easier to express fake regret than to ask permission. The older ones seem to be catching on now that they are opening their own businesses and acknowledging that actions have consequences beyond their immediate focus.
Yeah, the youth has always
Yeah, the youth has always followed the rules set forth by the older generations. You also say that this "generation which has been raised to believe that...." Why are you pointing the finger at the those who were "raised" aka taught a certain way to live and not at those who raised them that way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4IjTUxZORE
Rules set forth by older generations?
That wasn't the issue here.
The issue was rules set forth in writing and agreed to in writing at the time of purchase and occupancy of said condo.
I have young people at home, remember. I agree that there is a lot of "no" around that doesn't need to be there. HOWEVER, if you sign a set of documents, then violate those documents, get called on your shit when problems arise, then pretend they don't apply to you, you are a massive douchebag and that has NOTHING to do with "old people are just picking on kids wahhhhh" in the least. Even the other younger people were pissed off at this bint.
And, yes, I fully blame the baby boomers and their parenting "theories" for a whole load of this behavior. I remember my GenX peers and I watching their parents in action when they were toddlers and saying "no fucking way" and "my kids will know what "no" means". That said, we all have to live with the massive outfall of living amongst a large generation of people who were too precious to discipline, but not too precious to saddle with massive debt. Some of these people still need to learn about what boundaries mean, and they are learning the hard way.
So it's only millennials who
So it's only millennials who have ever violated a contract? Got it.
Not the contract violation
The response, however, of "oh I'm sorry but its cool so lets just move on (and I'll keep doing it)" was classically millennial.
Sure, no person in any other
Sure, no person in any other generation has ever said as much.
"Even the other younger people were pissed off at this bint."
..then why are you going on about Millennials and baby boomers? A young person broke the rules and won't own up to it, therefore MILLENNIALS, MILLENNIALS, MILLENNIALS. Sigh. There are selfish people in every generation. I'm just incredibly tired of older generations ranting about younger generations and vice versa. It's divisive and tiresome. :/
Because of the excuses and attitude
The attitude that "Oh, did I break a rule, my bad, sorry, you just didn't understand this new thing and now I'm going to assert that I'm going to keep doing it, sorry" is a signature move.
Sigh.
A signature move? The youth (and the elders, for that matter) in my life are too complex to be stereotyped like that.
Full disclosure: as I mentioned to MC Slim up thread, I'm in my 20s. A "millennial." I'm also a member of a community group of women here in Boston that is deliberately multigenerational. It's a blessing, because the thing about having friends in their 50s when you're in your 20s is that you have role models, people who have been there and done that- and I think we learn a lot from each other. Coincidentally, we had a retreat this past weekend and one of the topics we discussed were the assumptions that others make about our respective generations and how to stand up for our sisters of all ages.
All I can say is that whether you're intending to or not, you're building a wall between generations with your words right now.
Millenial excuse
"Because technology and all the future things."
Why should an intercom break
Why should an intercom break because people are using it?
How many button pushes per day is an intercom certified for, before it suddenly breaks?
Come on Sal!
How can you support Uber but NOT Airbnb? Airport hotels contributing to the campaign but cab companies not?
How about taking care of the trash and traffic pattern problems in our neighborhood before you mount up for that crusade?
Exactly
This is why we have regulations. Oh, Uber doesn't need to follow regulations but AirBNB does? Why is that? Because Sal lives near people that might rent to screw-ups but doesn't like Boston taxis either?
Selective enforcement is not the answer. Enforce them all or write them out of the rule books.
Uber *is* regulated
I think the big battle with Uber right now is whether taxi regulations apply or not--not whether they should be enforced. Just look at the hearing in Cambridge last month--the proposal was to rewrite the rules so that Uber-type services are considered taxis/livery, not to enhance enforcement of rules that already applied. As you say, the question is to write Uber into (or out of) the rulebook. Right now, it's not obvious that the rulebook applies to them.
It applies to their "contractors"
If we're talking about UberX, the sharing part of Uber, then the rulebook applies to their drivers. And as such, they are contracting with scofflaws (at best). In fact, their contracting provides incentive for people to shirk laws...so it's almost like a RICO for petty crimes.
Uber, itself, claims to be above the law by using contract law as a bridge to the real law breakers, their drivers. I'm pretty sure the mob godfathers felt the same way. They all went down together. However, when Uber breaks the law along with its drivers, nobody gets murdered. So, we're not as quick to care.
when Uber breaks the law
Not usually, you mean?
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Uber-Driver-Arrested-in-San-Francis...
Ask Uber
He wasn't on the clock. They don't want anything to do with him. Like a rogue stooge settling a gambling debt with his fists.
Oh, but NOW, they cover their drivers even if they're not on the clock. It's a miracle of generosity and not a reaction to that incident at all, I'm sure. Stop judging them! They just want to be your friend!
Speaking of which, the news today is that they just hired Plouffe (of Obama campaign fame) to handle policy/messaging/etc.
Many condos already forbid this
I'm pretty sure most associations prevent the use of units for short term rentals.
Yes, most (nearly all)
Yes, most (nearly all) prohibit short term rentals, and most trusts require copies of leasing agreements when units are rented out, with stiff fines for failing to do so.
The last thing a condo owner wants is for their neighboring units to turn into "who knows who" is going to be living there. It's one of the nice things of a condo over an apartment, some guarantee for "quiet enjoyment of your home".
I like to run Sal's speeches
I like to run Sal's speeches through a plagiarism scanner, just for fun.
He's been lost without Menino.
what are you talking about?
what are you talking about? is there one line plagiarized in his entire order for this hearing? or any other? i'd be pretty shocked if you can back that statement up
No.
No.
This is about tax revenue and nothing else. When you rent from AirBNB you do not pay any rooms and meals taxes on the rental. Why? because its not a hotel room, which is how they skirt the law. Its clear this about protecting old revenue (keeping it coming in) and getting new revenue in.
This is why the city is all against anything thats new that they can't regulate. Loss in tax revenue.
Do you mean fairness?
Hey, Air B&B is great, but it certainly is on the edge of some laws and taxes, and that's catching up to them. If someone is renting out their place like a hotel or b&b, then they need to pay taxes like all the other inns. Being zoned correctly might be a good idea, too.
How is it different?
I agree with Merlin. Revenue
I agree with Merlin. Revenue is likely part of it, but there are other legitimate concerns, such as zoning. Why should a b&b need zoning relief, but someone listing one (or more) rooms on air b&b can rent out their room(s) without meeting the same zoning regs? If for example multiple neighbors suddenly start listing rooms on air b&b, I would imagine that would start to impact their neighborhood and the city has an interest in regulating that to make sure it doesn't get out of control.
As for revenue, if air b&b thinks it's service is different from other businesses that pay tax on lodging revenue, lobby the legislature for a different rate (and make their case). They shouldn't Just claim they owe nothing because their service is new.
This is about tax revenue and
No. It's also about not having random strangers living in your building short term.
Do we get so excited about innovation and the "sharing economy" that we forget that these problems existed before? And that we have existing, pragmatic mechanisms for dealing with them?
I'm sure when my condo
I'm sure when my condo association made the rule in 1989 not permitting rentals less than 6 months, it was all about the city's tax revenue.
Also, about bugs
Owners of multiunit dwellings (for a condo, that's usually the association) have to fumigate if they find pests. It's in the Sanitary Code and city regulations. If you're running a hostel out of your bedroom, you can't control for whatever the day-to-day renters are going to bring into the unit unless you gas them at the door for bedbugs, roaches, etc.
If I have to keep paying to have the whole house bombed because you are running a business out of your place while you're absent, then we're going to have issues.
huh?
What's that Sal? An "innovative" start up that needs to be regulated? Sounds like Uber to me! Regulate them all so that legitimates businesses that have invested millions can survive.
Maybe if those "legitimate"
Maybe if those "legitimate" businesses weren't run like shit and didn't perform like shit they'd have a better chance of surviving without a helping hand.
Air BnB
My wife and I stayed recently in two Boston-area airbnbs. They were great, with great hosts, a perfect alternative to the area's exorbitant hotel prices which, I suppose, must charge big bucks only for pointless luxuries and a place to sleep! Airbnbs bring decent people together and put a face on the city, making friends - whether the city government realizes it or not - for the whole community. The experience gave me a "tie" to Boston, and added to other reasons makes me want to return. And when I return I spend money, mostly in locally-owned shops. I guess a few bad apples create occasional problems as they also do everywhere, and in large hotels. Condo owners can deal with these. But where I stayed the only problem was a neighbor - a permanent resident - who was doing his exercise routine in the middle of the night. A dull thumping, but not a problem to me at all. I hope the city is wise enough not to let a few incidents restrict the enormous benefits airbnbs provide. They may be one of the best grass-roots economies in America. The human (social) benefits are even greater. Good for people, good for the city.
Airbnbs bring decent people
Or not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/17/airbnb-orgy_n_4978830.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/squatters-refuse-to-leave-airbnb-condo/
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/31/another-airbnb-victim-tells-his-story-t...
Exactly
It's like people look at the 80-90% of the time when something goes right and think "ah see, there's nothing wrong with this! I had a great time!". The rules were written for the 10-20% of the time when it goes wrong.
A few horror stories make the
A few horror stories make the national news. They're newsworthy *because* they're so rare.
You could say the same thing
You could say the same thing about salmonella and E. coli outbreaks. Should we abolish the FDA and USDA?
No, but we also shouldn't ban
No, but we also shouldn't ban meat.
Man, I hate analogies in arguments. They're like saying two things are the same when they're actually not.
Seems like you are an airbnb
Seems like you are an airbnb host. As NY has shown, it is not a 'grass roots' folksy thing. NYC found out a large percentage of airbnb rooms are rented by landlords with many units running de facto hotels with rooms spread out over the city. In their hometown of SF, they pay hotel taxes, but not in most other places. If you really want a place to meet people from the city with a place to stay, couchsurfing is the free, non corporate way. Airbnb is a way to skip the hotel taxes (and instead pay them in fees to airbnb corp. which doesn't help pay for things in our city at all.
More than just taxes
People in NYC and SF were being evicted so that the landlord could do short-term rentals of their apartments for much higher returns. Thus it was becoming a change of use issue (zoning) as well as a housing rights issue.
What's that about Millenials?
Quoting:
Condo owners don't want to deal with the "few bad apples" brought in by AirBnB "host" freeloaders in their building, nor the general costs that even good apples have on a hotel that was not built or planned to be a hotel.
What general costs are those?
What general costs are those? And how in the world does that relate in any way Millenials? That's just being stupid for the sake of being stupid.
and now, back home, you are
and now, back home, you are reading and posting to comment boards in Boston after a two day stay? Do you do that for every city you visit? Seems more likely that you are an airbnb host in Boston lying that you were a guest. Sounds about right for Airbnb.
Gee, that's a wonderful story
Yup, great story.
Thing is, condo owners don't want to deal with it. If the association rules say no short-term rentals, then no short-term rentals. I'm sure 90+% of hotel guests are very nice visitors. It's the remaining guests that tear the place apart we're concerned about. When a guest shuts the heat off in January and the pipes burst and affects other owners, short-term rentals are a concern.
It can be tough enough dealing with other condo owners. There's no way I want to deal with transients on the property.
Air BnB
An airbnb operator I am not. I understand the "cons." The NYC and SF stories in replies show abuses, no doubt about it. And condo association rules are rules. I learned from casual conversation one host, typical of his general attitude to people and the world, had the approval of other condo owners. Anyone with sense would get that first. The other rented a room in his own home. We ought to remember there are risks on both sides in this trade, risks that are freely taken by each party. If the guest isn't satisfied he can only complain to airbnb. What would come from that, who knows? If the host has problems, well, they go with the show. On both sides, risks are considered and accepted - as are the benefits.
Air BnB
I wrote about a very positive - and first - experience with Airbnbs my wife and I had in the Boston area. I should have added I don't mind being grouped with "Millennials." I'm almost 70.
Not sure I care for this
Not sure I care for this service. I was reading where a woman did rent out her condo that she only used occasionally. Unfortunately for her, they guy she rented it out to knew the eviction laws, etc. and overstayed his time allotment. But, due to some laws regarding squatter eviction, she was unable to force him to leave and now has to go through the legal system. Air bnb is involved and has offered to help with legal bills.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/2014/07/23/san-francisco-north...
This has nothing to do with AirBnB
You think that renting to daily customers a room in your house, or your apartment when you are traveling, started with AirBnB? Or even with the Internet? I knew people who were doing this in 1990 in the big apartment buildings in Chicago; they used booking services or the classified ads to find customers.
Can we please refer to this business phenomenon correctly, using some terminology like "off-the-books daily subletting" rather than "AirBnB?"
Yes, I'm sure everyone will
Yes, I'm sure everyone will get right on that, Bob.
Here's what it's got to do with AirBNB:
1) Convenience. It was never financially feasible to buy or rent large numbers of units to turn them into hotels, because there would be no guarantee that classified ads would be sufficient to keep them full. That is exactly what is happening in high-demand cities like New York and San Francisco, though, thanks to AirBNB.
2) Cha-ching. I doubt any of those booking agencies or classified ad-running newspapers were valued at $10 billion, as AirBnB is. This sort of money means that anyone who prefers that their neighbor not run an unlicensed hotel in their building has their back against the wall.
Fair enuff
A big enough quantitative shift is in fact a qualitative shift.
But really, there are already laws on the books that forbid people from doing what AirBnB is helping them to do; I don't see what the issue is, other than enforcing the law and requiring that anyone running a hotel or B&B play by the same rules as everyone else running a hotel or B&B.
That is exactly the issue.
That is exactly the issue. Cities and states apparently don't have the resources to effectively police the huge number of people who are illegally profiting off this. And the aforementioned millennial attitude of "Why are you hassling me, man? Just be cool!" doesn't make it any easier (e.g. I assume that in the old days, the people who were illegally subletting their apartments via classified ads and whatnot were at least discreet enough to try to keep their neighbors and/or landlords from catching on).
Its harder to regulate
Its harder to regulate individuals breaking the law, but of course that doesn't nor shouldn't stop people/law enforcement from trying. But with Airbnb they are a large corporation whose business model is helping people break the laws/codes. They go into cities where what they are coordinating (and charging for) is illegal. So it makes sense to shut down Airbnb unless they agree to abide by local laws and codes where they operate. Of course its easier (and more profitable) for them not to, but it would also be more profitable for other businesses not to follow the laws.
Good luck
We can't even get an ISD that can find fault with ANY of Anwar's apartments (according to Anwar's testimony at the Council). You want them to track down every AirBNB and bust them for zoning violations?
I want a decked-out Tesla S. Let's see which of us gets what they want first.
Were there large business
Were there large business travel partnerships so that Fortune 500 companies can book into these rental sublets? Because there is with airbnb
https://www.concur.com/blog/en-us/concur-airbnb-sharing-economy
There are over 3000 Boston
There are over 3000 Boston entries on airbnb; so I think this discussion is moot; the city hasn't the resources to control this.
There is one airbnb though,
There is one airbnb though, and that is the point of this hearing: to stop airbnb from facilitating breaking the law/codes in Boston.
But
There is Homeaway.com, VRBO.com, and numerous local agencies that do short term rental logistics.
That would be a good place to start investigating.....
Thanks for looking, that's eye-opening.
Sees 100 Comments, Expected AirBnb fight, Found Generation fight
I guess this website is has an older demographic than I thought. And I guess I'm not that old yet. I can take that in comfort as I read my generation gets bashed.
Keeping an eye on you now
Just don't let us catch you cheating at trivia and you'll be alright in here.
Best reason not to rent your condo on Airbnb
According to Beta Boston, if you rent out your condo via Airbnb, it will be used for raves or something:
Or if they don't throw a party, they might not leave...
:"Here’s one big difference between a hotel and Airbnb: If someone rents a hotel room and refuses to leave, the desk calls security and has him thrown out. If someone rents out a place using Airbnb and the “guest” refuses to leave, there’s no desk, no security and sometimes not much recourse."