Councilor Lamattina Wants Rental Websites Hearing

A close look at the practices of several short-term rental websites will be discussed at a possible public hearing being called for by Boston City Councilor Sal LaMattina. The Councilor apparently has heard many complaints on this subject ranging from loud parties to home and apartments where tenants cycled through like revolving doors. Dealing with loud noise parties is not new to Councilor LaMattina, especially in the North End.

Part of his district includes the North End where these disturbances happen frequently and he has worked diligently with the residents, police, community groups and City Hall agencies to curtail the problem. “I had constituents call and complain about new people coming into their neighborhood and moving into an apartment every week,” Councilor LaMattina said. “I get more and more calls regarding this situation and I’m calling for a public hearing this fall with the companies responsible for these actions,” he said.

LaMattina made it clear that he “hasn’t yet passed judgment” on any company but “wants to meet with the Fire Department, the Inspectional Services Department and others to see where the companies fits in.” He added, “I just want to learn about it and see if it’s legal. We need to see what controls there are in this industry.”

One of the companies, Airbnb in a statement to the Herald wrote, “It has controls in place, including requirements that hosts agree to comply with all local laws and building codes.”