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The CDC’s controversial eviction moratorium is set to expire June 30, and property owners could turn some of these newly empty units into short-term rentals rather than looking for a long-term tenant. Airbnb says it’s taking steps to prevent that from happening.
The short-term rental site announced a new COVID-19 Renter Protection Policy, in which it would work with cities to ban property owners from listing any property where the tenant was evicted due to nonpayment of rent. It wants to prevent short-term rentals from occurring quickly on units where the tenant had been protected by the CDC moratorium.
Airbnb plans to have the policy in place until the end of the year. But to implement its policy, it needs the participation of cities. Airbnb says it will ban such listings “when a city notifies us” that those listings are located at rental properties that were part of the CDC moratorium.
“By working with cities to prevent landlords from using our marketplace to profit from removing a vulnerable long-term tenant from their home based on nonpayment of rent, we believe we can send a strong message that will help keep people in their homes at this critical time,” the company notes in a blog post.
More than 11 million Americans are behind on their rent, according to an analysis by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The CDC’s eviction moratorium has been controversial for the financial impact it’s having on property owners who have gone months to a year without some tenants paying rent.