u/Relevant_Ad2547

TLDR - city of LA allows permit STR permit theft in LA as it’s a lucrative scam for both taxes and lawsuits. Won’t fix the mechanism that allows for widespread theft.

I’m an Airbnb host in LA with a 120 day permit. For the past three years, my Airbnb calendar has been prematurely blocked by the city prior to my using all my 120 days. I’ve flagged the home share dept repeatedly and each year, it ends up being months of stress and begging them to fix it. Last year, they mentioned permit theft then backtracked. I was confused - the permit is allegedly non-transferable.

This year, I noticed the inflated count on my listings in April and began emailing the home share department. My calendar has now been fully blocked since August. I chatgpt’d my permit number and found that some jerk down the street has been stealing my number for his illegal Airbnb. I have alerted the city and told them for over a month. They have done nothing.

During this time, I dug further and found that there are thousands of illegal listings in the city of LA, often run by rings of 6-7 people who steal legit permits from unassuming hosts. The city’s own contractor, Granicus, has been flagging this issue since 2023. The city’s won’t fix the loophole that allows the theft nor will it release activity logs of bookings to the affected parties - these would show the exact listings where the theft is occurring.

Why? Money. These listings are often luxury Airbnbs. The city collects 14% transient occupancy tax and these properties often cost over $1K per night, vs what’s often a 2nd room or a portion of a home of a legitimate host for much less. Secondly, the city seems to wait until these rings garner millions in revenue, then they sue the rings for $5-$62M per ring. They are also currently suing Airbnb for “allowing” this to occur. It’s lucrative fraud whereby the city cashes in millions in taxes on illegal listings then millions more in fines/lawsuits Meanwhile, legitimate hosts are paying the price and not even aware of the lawsuits.

For the past 3 years, my 120 day home share permit gets blocked by the home share department prematurely with nearly 50 days left to use. It's unclear why - I provide the count and they don't deny it but will not rectify the issue. Airbnb support has no idea what's going on and defers me to the city anyway. I saw my inflated count 5 months ago and began emailing them. The only time they respond is after a damages claim is filed which I have now done for the second year in a row. I am at my wit's end.. my calendar is blocked through the end of the year for no reason. Is anyone else dealing with this? What have you done to fix it, if at all?

I am open to ALL ideas. If this is a widespread issue, I'd like to understand how many hosts are affected and take it to Airbnb.

This election cycle is critical for LA hosts. These forums are setup to allow hosts to get to know the candidates that support hosts in terms of regulations. Free parking, food and drinks provided. Tonight and tomorrow - please rsvp. Poster in comments.

In Los Angeles, the upcoming elections are imperative to our livelihoods as hosts. Attached is a quick guide reflecting those who do and don’t support STRs.

My condo building needs a new intercom system and I’ve been trying to research online but it’s been tough to distill what makes sense and what price point as they vary widely. We’re only 7 units and need something to buzz people in and ideally have a camera mechanism so we can see who is downstairs. Don’t necessarily want a camera display or touch screen on the unit because we’re concerned with vagrants damaging it. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.