New Federal Law Will Affect Airbnb & VRBO Rentals in New England

Over the last few years, we have seen short-term rentals, like Airbnb and VRBO, grow in popularity.

Personally, they are not my idea of ideal lodging. I just can't get over the idea of staying in someone else's home or, in the case of Airbnb, potentially sharing a home with the host or other guests. It's the same reason why I am not a big fan of B&Bs. To each their own, though.

Despite my reservations (no pun intended) about staying in a short-term rental, I can see their appeal. Instead of being crammed into a hotel room, in most cases you have the room to spread out. And, in many cases, they are cheaper than staying in a hotel.

In the past, some short-term rental customers have complained about 'hidden fees'. As the name implies, the fees do not appear when you first look at the price of the rental. These fees often show up just before you finalize the deal. A new federal law will quell some of these concerns.

The Federal Trade Comission Bans Hidden Fees

According to Newser, the new rule requires short-term rental companies, like Airbnb, to force renters to post the total fee for the rental upfront. It makes it against the law to have so-called 'junk fees', also known as 'hidden fees'.

The new rule does not prevent companies from tacking on whatever fees they see fit, but they must post these fees upfront. They cannot wait till just before the purchase is confirmed to reveal these fees.

The new rule also applies to companies that sell concert & event tickets, like Ticketmaster.

The rule, which will go into effect in the next 120 days, was first proposed in October of 2023.