Airbnb could officially come to Jersey City

Jersey City spokesman Ryan Jacobs said the city does not have to pay Airbnb anything for the 6 percent hotel tax to be applied, adding that the agreement ensures Jersey City will be able to regulate the popular service in the future.

The city of 262,000, the second-largest in New Jersey, expects to pull in between $600,000 and $1 million annually in taxes on Airbnb rentals, which now number about 300 within city limits.

Fulop announced the measure’s introduction concurrent with an agreement with Airbnb under which the service will be responsible to collect the city’s 6 percent hotel tax from users.

Legalizing Airbnb could give Jersey City a leg-up on nearby New York City; New York state largely bans rentals through the site.

Travelers who dream of staying in Jersey City: rejoice!

This is seen as a protection against properties being turned into de facto hotels, of which there have been a few instances, though it is a matter of debate how prevalent that practice is. In the words of Bill Clinton, ‘You have to make change your friend.’ And that’s what we’ve done here by working with Airbnb. “So I personally think this is a win-win-win across the board”. It’s raised concerns about the safety of guests, and whether the service is fair to hotels and inns that are required to be licensed and inspected.

“Right now, they’re operating anyway, it’s impossible to police it, so the goal was to find a way to make it work, and that’s what they’ve done”, Fulop said. He now manages 30 listings for between $40 and $110 a night.

Ramirez said it was hard to find long-term tenants for most of his units, but renting them through Airbnb proved more lucrative.

“That ultimately would be a benefit to our restaurants, businesses and our local economy overall and our residents from a taxpayer’s standpoint”, he said.

“That’s the beauty of technology”. “It’s like running a hotel out of the palm of your hand, except the rooms aren’t all in one building and the model is more progressive”.