Reykjavík To Form Special Airbnb Committee

Reykjavík City Council approved yesterday morning the creation of a committee that would begin talks with Airbnb. Vísir reports the capital intends to use cities such as Amsterdam and London as their model for how to deal with rapidly increasing tourism.

With the formation of this agreement, the hope is that the city will have a clearer picture regarding illegal Airbnb listings. Airbnb will then be able to hinder property owners who do not have a permit to lend out their properties beyond the 90 day limit.

The move is one likely to be welcomed by many Reykjavík residents, not least of all Airbnb owners themselves. As we reported last September in an interview with an Airbnb owner, when the number of Airbnb listings are compared to the number of permits actually issued by the County Seat, there is a significant discrepancy.

“What I would like is for the city to make an agreement with Airbnb to get information from them,” Airbnb owner Unnur María Máney Bergsveinsdóttir told us at the time. “I think if someone wants to buy up apartments and rent them out, then those places should be taxed as businesses. Then they’d have to choose between either paying high taxes, or putting those homes back on the market.”