Advocating on Behalf of our US Host Community
Airbnb’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Communications Chris Lehane sent a letter to federal policymakers today asking that they consider measures to financially support Airbnb hosts during this time of crisis and recovery.
The letter advocates for policy proposals to help Americans who share their homes to earn extra income, entrepreneurs who offer local tourist experiences, and small business owners who make up the backbone of the Airbnb community, and of whom more than half depend on their Airbnb income to meet their monthly needs. Of our US hosts, 14% have said they are teachers or live with a teacher, more than half of hosts are women, and seniors are one of our largest host cohorts.
While we work as a nation to understand and overcome the effects of this global pandemic across industries, we are asking federal policymakers to consider our hosts: hardworking women and men across the country who share their assets and depend on this income to pay the bills.
Any federal economic relief package to support everyday Americans should include support for the Airbnb community, such as policies to:
- Expand federal short-term rental tax exemptions from 14 days to 60 days to help you keep more of the income you earn.
- Introduce a federal tax credit, deduction or deferral of taxes on the 1099 income earned by Home and Experience hosts.
- Ensure hosts qualify for expanded US Small Business Administration economic injury disaster loans.
- Encourage lenders to make available low-interest loans that assist your small business needs as a host.
A copy of the letter can be found here and an accompanying memo on our US host community can be found here.