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Airbnb slams Boston city councilor in mass email

BOSTON -- Airbnb is fighting back against a proposal to regulate short-term rentals in Boston.

On Tuesday, the company emailed people who live in Boston and asked them to send a pre-written complaint to Mayor Marty Walsh and the Boston City Council.

The email from Airbnb read:

Hi [Recipient name],

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu has a proposal that would place unreasonable restrictions on home sharing in the city and we need your help to stop it. She has aligned with big hotel interests against the interests of regular Bostonians. Will you use our speakout tool and send an email to Mayor Walsh and City Council today asking them to support responsible home sharing in Boston?

The Wu proposal would place unnecessary restrictions on home sharing by:

• Placing a restrictive 30-day cap on unhosted stays.
• Prohibiting renters from sharing their homes, something not done anywhere else in the United States.
• Requiring notification of neighbors and that platforms like Airbnb collect and share an invasive amount of personal information putting your privacy at risk.

We know that when the collective voice of the Airbnb community is heard by lawmakers, we can stop restrictive and unnecessary laws like this from passing. That's why sending an email to the Boston City Council today is so important.

Thanks,
The Airbnb Team
Sent with [love] from
Airbnb, Inc.
888 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

City Councilor Michelle Wu sent Boston 25 News a statement defending her proposal.

"Boston is in a housing crisis, as too many across the city are struggling to afford a place to live. We have to take every action to set policy that makes it possible for families to stay in Boston, and that includes passing reasonable regulations on short-term rentals that close corporate loopholes while preserving the benefits of home-sharing for residents. The current unregulated status quo means that some corporations and individuals are operating de facto hotels out of our housing stock in places where a hotel use violates zoning laws. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the Mayor on swift action to preserve our housing stock for long-term residents and stabilize neighborhoods."

In the email to Boston residents Tuesday, Airbnb alleges Wu had aligned herself with big hotel interests against the interests of Bostonians. Boston 25 News pulled Wu’s campaign finance records for 2018, but didn’t find any large donations from hotel giants.

Wu fired back at Airbnb on Twitter, writing, in part, “spreading fake news doesn't bode well for credibility.”

Airbnb stood by its mass email in a statement to Boston 25 News Tuesday night.

"Councillor Wu's home sharing proposal, as circulated during the council's March 19 working session, is anti-tenant, anti-middle class and would violate the privacy of Bostonians sharing their homes. While thousands of longtime Bostonians are using home sharing to pay the bills and stay in the city they love, Wu's overly restrictive proposal will do more to push them back."

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Airbnb released the following statement:

"Airbnb supports the regulation of home sharing, which is why we've been working hand-in-hand with the City of Boston and local communities on reasonable rules for the last two years. Our goal is and has always been to work in good faith. In the past few months, several different approaches and amendments have been proposed. We represent thousands of residents across Boston who were concerned about where the regulations were heading. When our members get concerned, we want to make sure they have a voice. We're encouraged to see that Councilor Wu does not support a night cap on home sharing, and we look forward to getting back to working collaboratively with the city to put fair regulations in place that will benefit Boston and the people who support themselves and their families every day through home sharing."