PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The largest city is Maine is considering a heavy increase in the fees that get charged to property owners who offer short-term rentals using services including Airbnb.
Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling is proposing to raise the registration fees by as much as 400 percent in some cases. He says the proposal would raise an estimated $250,000 for a city fund that subsidizes affordable housing.
The Portland Press Herald reports Strimling says the city isn’t charging enough money in relation to the impact the short-term rentals are having on the local rental market. He says it’s having “a detrimental impact.”
Fans of the short-term rentals have countered that the negative impact on rents is overstated and rental hosts are often just trying to make ends meet. A committee vote’s possible Tuesday.
