Airbnb removes 130 Vancouver listings

Weeks after Vancouver city council announced measures to clamp down on short-term rental accommodation,Airbnb says it has "proactively" removedmore than 130 Vancouver listings from its website.

In a a statement sent to CBC News, Airbnb spokesperson Alex Daggsaid the company believed the listings to be"commercials operators" who "do not meet the standards and priorities of our community, nor the guest experience we seek to provide."

• New Airbnb rules could shut down 1,000 short-term listings in Vancouver, says mayor
• UBC researcher says most Vancouver Airbnb hosts de facto commercial operators

Airbnb has been under firein Vancouver and many other cities for depleting scarce long-term rental stock and contributing to a growing housing crisis.

Vancouver city councilor Geoff Meggssays he's glad Airbnb is being proactive, but that there's no way to know if the de-listedproperties will just pop up on one of the many other websites offering short term rentals like VRBOVacation Rentals or Craigslist.

"We need regulation to get everyone playing by the same rules," said Meggs. "We don't want to play "whack-a-mole" with the listings."

Meggs says Airbnb lists between 80 and 90 per cent of all the short term accommodationavailable in Vancouver. He says VRBO has also approached the city to talk.

Last month, Vancouver city staff recommendedways to restrict property owners who list vacant dwellings on short-term rental sites, including introducing a new rental permit licence requirement.

Many Airbnblistings are for apartments or suites in locations where zoning explicitly prohibits rentals of less than one month.

Last month, the City of Vancouver filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court to shut down an Airbnb"host" who was renting out such a unit in FairviewSlopes.

In her statement Dagg says, "We believe we can partner with the city to develop fair, easy-to-follow home-sharing regulations that address key priorities for the city, including any unwelcome commercial operators."