As you know, some people buy properties with the intent of listing them on Airbnb all year round. It can be especially lucrative in Japan, with its booming tourism industry — some hotels in the country can be fully booked months before Sakura season. In 2016, 3.7 million of the 24 million tourists who visited the island nation stayed in an Airbnb, making it the company’s fastest-growing market.
The lack of proper regulation allows home owners to make a decent profit off their properties. But once Airbnb becomes legal, they’ll have to secure a landlord’s permit and an operating license to rent out their properties for over 180 days. They can’t cheat either: the website will add a new feature that will automatically hide rentals that exceed the annual limit. The company’s Japanese division knows that it could affect some of their hosts, but it believes what’s important is “that there will now be clear rules governing home-sharing.”
