Latest news with #Airbnb-style
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Call made to stop rich "hoarding" Stirling properties
An MSP has claimed too many young people are forced to leave the communities they have grown up in due to housing shortages and high house prices - caused by second homes and holiday lets. Reducing the number of second homes in Stirling could help to tackle the housing crisis says a local MSP. Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, says making it harder for the wealthy to 'hoard' homes by increasing their tax is crucial to tackle the issue in Stirlingshire. The most recent data from the Scottish Government shows that second homes and short-term lets make up 2.5 per cent of all housing in Stirling. This is higher than the national average (1.8 per cent). At the same time, a housing emergency has been declared across Scotland and over 10,000 children are in temporary accommodation. Second homes are more common in areas of natural beauty, including Callander, Aberfoyle and Bridge of Allan. In many cases young people are forced to leave the communities they have grown up in due to housing shortages and high house prices caused by second homes and holiday lets. Mr Ruskell says the Scottish Greens have already taken action to reduce the spread of holiday homes and short term lets, doubling the tax paid when buying a home for these purposes and giving councils the power to double council tax on these properties. This reduced the number of second homes by 2455 in Scotland last year compared to 2023 and raised tens of millions of pounds for public services like the NHS and schools. Speaking in Parliament last week, Mr Ruskell raised concerns about the expansion of second home ownership, and called for action to protect communities and help first time house buyers by reducing the number of holiday homes. He said: 'Scotland is in a housing crisis. Everyone in Parliament agrees on this, but it's only the Scottish Greens delivering the changes needed to tackle it. 'The fact that we have hundreds of second homes and short term lets across Stirlingshire, outstripping the national average, is a major reason why this crisis is so much worse locally. Wealthy people buying up properties they won't live in are pushing out young families in particular. 'These houses either lie empty for most of the year as holiday homes, or they are hoarded by landlords making a fortune from Airbnb-style short term lets. Either way, its first-time buyers who are pushed out by those with much more financial muscle. 'There are 10,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation, but 49,000 second homes and short term lets. This is a crisis which can clearly be solved. We'll only do that by taking on the wealthy few, those who pay very little tax while hoovering up the houses which other people need. 'The current Housing Bill is a watershed moment in the Scottish Parliament. Thanks to the Scottish Greens it will deliver controls on rent increases and new rights and protections for renters. 'However, it must go further to tackle the vast inequality gap that we see between the rich and the vulnerable in Stirlingshire. 'The Scottish Government must listen to us and act boldly to stop the hollowing out of our communities.' In his speech, Mr Ruskell said his area's communities welcomed people who come to make their lives in permanent homes, but that more second homes were artificially inflating the housing market and pricing out locals, particularly families taking their first steps in the housing market. 'Adult children often have to stay in the family home while saving for a deposit or even to move out of their community, away from friends and family, at a stage in life when support networks are incredibly important. 'I also see older people struggling. They can become trapped in unsuitable housing because there are few properties available to downsize into and they sometimes end up in precarious tenancies in poorly serviced park homes. There are few options for people in many rural communities. 'It is in those hotspots that we can most clearly see the impact of second home ownership. Shops close because of a lack of regular custom, schools have dwindling numbers of young people, leading to their eventual closure, and residents no longer have neighbours.'
Time Business News
6 days ago
- Business
- Time Business News
Is It Legal to... ? The Weirdest Rental Questions Property Managers Get Asked
If you manage a rental property long enough, you'll hear everything. And we mean everything. From tenants wanting to build a chicken coop in their closet to folks wondering if they can pay rent in cryptocurrency (or cupcakes), rental questions can get wild. So today, we're diving headfirst into the strange, the silly, and the surprisingly common 'Is it legal to…?' rental questions that property managers get asked. If you're a landlord, a tenant, or just here for the entertainment, buckle up. You'd think this was a joke. But nope. Some renters really want to share their 600-square-foot apartment with four goats, a piglet, and a cockatoo. Here's the legal scoop: most leases have pet restrictions. And no, farm animals usually don't make the cut. Fun fact: In urban areas, local zoning laws almost always prohibit livestock in residential units. Where property managers step in: They're the voice of reason (and city code compliance) when a tenant tries to domesticate a donkey on the third floor. This one's sneaky. Tenants sometimes try to get creative, turning the living room into a hotel suite while they sleep in the kitchen. Legally? That depends on the lease and local short-term rental laws. Some cities are cracking down hard on Airbnb-style arrangements. Data check: As of 2024, over 65% of large US cities have restrictions on short-term sublets in residential buildings. Where property managers step in: According to Brady Realty Group, they keep things from turning into a full-on BnB bonanza, so they are the ones to call right away. Property managers help landlords enforce lease terms and avoid nasty legal tangles. Sure, it's your rental for now, but no, it's not your canvas for goth expressionism. Painting your entire apartment black might not be illegal, but it is usually against the rules. Most lease agreements require tenants to return walls to their original color. Landlords don't want to play paint roulette every time a tenant moves out. Pro tip: Always get written permission before making major changes. Unless you want your security deposit to vanish faster than your Pinterest inspiration board. Weirdly specific. Alarmingly common. Tenants often get wild DIY ideas. But turning your one-bedroom into a firefighter training academy? That's a hard no. Any structural change, like drilling holes through the ceiling, usually violates your lease. Plus, safety issues. Insurance doesn't love a fire pole next to your IKEA couch. Ah yes, the classic 'herb garden' question. The legality of growing marijuana at home depends on your state. As of 2025, 24 states allow some form of legal home cultivation. But even if your state is chill, your landlord might not be. Federal law still classifies marijuana as illegal. That gives landlords the right to prohibit it. Where property managers step in: They navigate that tricky gray area. If the law says maybe and the lease says nope, the lease wins. Property managers know the fine print and how to enforce it. In theory, yes. In practice, not really. Cryptocurrency isn't exactly landlord-friendly yet. It's volatile, tricky to track, and not many property management software platforms accept it. Most landlords prefer cold hard cash (well, bank transfers). Fun fact: Only 2% of landlords in the US accept cryptocurrency as rent, according to a 2023 Rentec Direct survey. It's not illegal. But it is unsettling. People sometimes use antique coffins as furniture. (We're not judging. Just… blinking slowly.) Unless there's an actual body inside, it's more of a 'weird' than 'illegal' situation. Lease-wise, it's usually okay unless it presents a safety or health risk. Ah, the dream of every mystery-loving tenant. But whether it's a bookcase door or a full-blown panic room, unauthorized construction is a red flag. Most leases prohibit unapproved modifications. Even if your hidden room is extremely cool, you'll probably be asked to tear it down, or pay up for the repair. Depends on the biz. Freelance graphic designer? Sure. Exotic bird grooming service? Not so much. Most residential leases restrict commercial use of the property. Plus, running a business from home can violate zoning laws or create issues with noise, parking, or customer foot traffic. Stat check: According to the SBA, 50% of small businesses in the US are home-based, but not all are rental-approved. Believe it or not, mini horses are considered service animals under the ADA. That doesn't mean your landlord has to let one trot through the lobby. Emotional support animals (ESAs) and service animals have different protections. Mini horse service animals are rare, and property managers might require extra documentation. Especially if the building has size or weight limits. We said it once, we'll say it again: property managers are the MVPs of keeping rental life (somewhat) normal. They're the people standing between tenants and their more 'creative' ideas, making sure everything stays legal, livable, and not liable. Whether it's interpreting lease terms, enforcing rules, or handling the truly bizarre, property managers are your go-to guides through the jungle of rental law. So next time someone asks, 'Is it legal to keep bees in the bathroom?', you'll know who to call. (Hint: it's not Animal Control. It's your property manager.) Rental laws can be strange. Tenant questions? Even stranger. But when in doubt, the lease is your legal map, and your property manager is the GPS that keeps you from driving into a ditch. Stay curious, stay legal, and please, leave the goats at home. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Local Spain
7 days ago
- Business
- Local Spain
LISTED: The taxes Spain wants to introduce to fix the housing crisis
The draft bill registered at the Spanish Congress plans aimed at limiting the number of short-term tourist apartments in Spain, something many blame for rising rental costs, while ensuring the availability of public housing stock, incentivising lower rental prices and, most headline-grabbing of all, curbing home purchases by non-resident third-country nationals. In order to do this the Spanish government is further tinkering with tax rules to essentially double the price for non-EU, non-resident foreigners buying property in Spain. As reported by The Local last week, according to the legal text for the so-called "Complementary State Tax on the Transfer of Real Estate to Non-EU Residents", this tax "will be obtained by applying a 100% tax rate to the taxable base', which is the value of the property. The 100 percent tax has caught international media coverage, but the bill also includes several other policies and tax changes that the Spanish government hopes can help the property market. Tourist flat tax hike Among the proposed measures are an increase in VAT on holiday apartments to 21 percent, so that they are there taxed as any other economic activity. The idea is to try and make tourist rentals a less attractive option for landlords, who can currently make a lot more money than renting out to locals long term. Currently, landlords who rent out Airbnb-style properties that do not provide typical services similar to a hotel (cleaning, meals, laundry) are VAT exempt. Extension to IRPF rebates in 'non-stressed' areas Similarly, the extension of the net rental yield rebates for IRPF is included, which can reach 100 percent in areas that have not been declared 'stressed' rental markets. This deduction will be made available for owners who rent properties below the reference price on Spain's state rental index. Property investment companies taxed more The draft also proposes to tighten taxation on listed real estate investment companies (known as SOCIMIs in Spain), which would go from being taxed at 15 to 25 percent, except in the case of homes intended for rent at affordable prices. Updating capital gains tax The proposed law also includes an update to rates and quotas for the Increase in Urban Land Value tax (known as plusvalía) following a recent constitutional court ruling, though the details are still unclear. Penalising empty properties There are also a range of measures to penalise landlords who keep empty properties, especially if they hold large real estate portfolios. The government argues this is a way of encouraging them to rent them out to local people as taxes levied on empty properties will be increased. Rates currently range between 1.1 percent and 2 percent. For this reason, greater progressivity will be established by introducing more tax brackets, the percentage of which will be updated in coordination with the Ministry of Finance.
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Another 9,000 Airbnbs across Spain forced to be taken down after major holiday crackdown
THOUSANDS more Airbnbs are at risk in Spain amid a major crackdown on holiday rentals. Earlier this week, the Spanish government confirmed that more than 65,000 holiday rentals had to be removed from the Airbnb website. 2 Catalonia has revealed more than 9,000 Airbnbs that need to be taken down Credit: Alamy This is because they were found to be breaching tourist regulation rules, which includes not having an official license number, or no information on the owner's status. And Catalonia Tourism has since listed another 9,000 Airbnb rentals that are illegal, This is on top of the 65,000 determined by the Spanish government. Cities in Catalonia this would affect include Read more on Spain Miquel Sàmper, Catalan business and labor minister, said more than 10,000 illegal Airbnb listings were removed last year. The new clampdown on Airbnbs across Spain affects six regions - Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands (affecting Majorca, Ibiza , Menorca and Formentera) and the Basque Country. A Madrid court ruling said 5,000 rentals in the city would be removed after found to be breaching the guidelines regulations. The new rules will be introduced from July 1, although Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling. Most read in News Travel Brits who have booked an Airbnb this summer in Spain should check their booking before travelling. To check that the holiday rental is legal, holidaymakers can check the listing for a license number, or ask the owner of the property for it. Inside Airbnb capital of UK where fed-up locals have no neighbours The crackdown on Airbnbs in Spain isn't new, with other regions already introducing their own strict rules. The city of Seville only allows 10 per cent of homes per And Malaga has next three years. What the new Airbnb rules mean for your Spanish holiday The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains. THE Spanish government's latest bid to tackle protests about the lack of affordable housing and over tourism could have a big impact on Brits looking to book a holiday rental this summer. In a bid to appease locals who fear they have been priced out of the market by the rise in short-term holiday lets, the latest move could force Airbnb to remove up to 65,000 properties the government claim are violating rules. Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling, handed down by a court in Madrid, which backed a government bid to remove 5,800 listings. Spain's leaders have since asked for a further 60,000 to be struck from the site across the country, despite Airbnb claiming they used 'an indiscriminate methodology' to include rentals that do not need a licence to operate. It comes as a new EU regulation, first introduced in January and coming into full force on July 1, will insist on the registration of any short-term rental. If you have booked a short term rental via Airbnb or any other booking service like What is also worth noting though, is moves in other parts of the world to ban Airbnb-style rentals have not had the desired effect. New York City's 2023 Local Law 18, which restricted stays under 30 days, saw the number of listings plummet by 83per cent. But while there was a reduction in short term rentals, rents continued to rise in New York and hotel prices rocketed, with some reports indicating a rise at twice the rate of inflation. Here are some other rules in Spain to be aware of And we've rounded up some other tourist rules including 2 Cities affected by the Catalonia rules include Barcelona and Riga Credit: Alamy
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
They Built Their Dream Home Out of Shipping Containers. Then They Realized There Was No Water on the Property (Exclusive)
In 2024, Lexi Newkirk and her husband, Diego, purchased a 12.5-acre property in Texas Hill Country Soon after, they bought two shipping containers to transform into a one-of-a-kind home on the land Throughout the process, Lexi has shared videos on social media, and many have gone viralLexi Newkirk and her husband, Diego, are building their dream home, and it's far from traditional. In November 2024, just one month after closing on a 12.5-acre property in Texas Hill Country, the couple, who had recently tied the knot, purchased two shipping containers that would eventually be stacked to form the foundation of their one-of-a-kind home. Although they were eager to dive in, construction didn't officially begin until April 2025. After returning from their honeymoon, Lexi, 25, and Diego, 26, took time to settle in. They bought and renovated an RV to live in during the build, then returned to the property and got to work. Before placing the containers, they had to clear the land — which was densely wooded and required extensive landscaping. 'My husband's been building the entire house from the ground up,' Lexi tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'We originally thought we'd build an Airbnb-style wellness ranch, a retreat where people could escape city life, since we're about an hour-and-a-half outside of Austin." 'But our neighbor wasn't happy with that,' she adds. 'So now, we've placed it here permanently, and we plan to live in it for the next two to three years.' Though the couple has been working on the house for more than a year, there's still plenty left to do. Recently, though, they reached a major milestone: they officially moved in and are now learning to navigate life inside their unconventional space. Lexi says the design was all about intention, especially when it came to natural light and making the most of the home's 640 square feet. The house features a full-size kitchen and one-and-a-half bathrooms. 'The bedroom faces the sunrise and the bathroom faces the sunset,' she says. 'We came up with that because my childhood room faced east, so I was always an early riser. I just thought it was something cool — to let the sun wake you up. When you sleep on the west side, you naturally wake up about an hour later. So that big window placement was really thought out.' When asked about the most difficult part of the build, Diego, whose family owns a mold remediation company, doesn't miss a beat. 'Definitely the plumbing,' he says. 'We've got a bit of an extravagant bathroom design upstairs, and I knew from experience that plumbing in such a tight space could get tricky. I've done plumbing before, and I could've done it myself, but I didn't want to deal with future issues. So we decided to hire someone.' That decision became even more complicated when the couple discovered the property didn't have access to water. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'We had four different plumbing companies come out,' Diego recalls. 'Two of them basically said we were crazy and told us we'd have to make major changes. But eventually, we found someone who understood the vision and could make it work without all those modifications.' 'We've had to since get water delivered from a city about 30 to 45 minutes away,' he adds. 'They brought in 2,700 gallons. Eventually, we're hoping to install a more permanent water system.' Since the start of the project, Lexi, who owns a digital marketing agency, has been sharing updates on Instagram. She later expanded to TikTok, where her behind-the-scenes videos have racked up millions of views and earned her nearly 300,000 followers. The comment sections on Lexi's videos have also been flooded with questions, one of the most common being where they bought their shipping containers. 'We chose 40-foot, single-use high cube shipping containers,' Lexi says. 'When you're shopping for containers, the price really depends on the condition, whether it has flaws or not. Ours had only been used once, which is why we went with them. A lot of other containers are used for multiple trips, but since this was going to be our home, we wanted something blemish-free. We didn't want to risk potential issues down the line, like holes or rust.' Diego adds that another question they get asked is about the cost, to which he explains, "It's more expensive than people think." With plenty of land to work with, the couple is already thinking ahead. They hope to build a barn-style condominium just down the hill on their property and install solar panels. "It's super unique. There's not many homes like this out there," Lexi says. "I think that's the reason everyone's like, 'What the heck? This is crazy.' But we have so many more plans. We're about to be starting a garden and get chickens. We're going to put up a fence, hopefully get some cows out here and just start a little homestead." She adds, "This is just our starting point." Read the original article on People
