Philadelphia

You'll No Longer Be Breaking the Law by Renting on Airbnb in Philadelphia

Many Philadelphians already rent out their homes through services like Airbnb, but Philadelphia City Council just made it officially legal.

The new rules, passed by council Thursday, allow everyone in Philadelphia to share their home for up to 180 days and make cash off the stay.

But the city wants it’s cut too. Landlords will have to pay an 8.5-percent hotel tax. Airbnb, the most popular service, already collects other taxes and will handle the withholding during the rental reservation process.

The change comes ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the city in late September. Upward of 2 million people are expected to come and see the pontiff during his two day visit. That’s exponentially more people than the some 30,000 hotel rooms available in the area.

Earlier in the year, the Department of Licenses & Inspections told NBC10 in January they’d essentially be looking the other way in enforcing rental license rules during the pope’s trip.

The rental law will go into effect July 1.

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