Japan’s new STR law comes into effect this June. The new regulations limit stays of less than one month to a maximum 180 nights per year. Airbnb has said they will comply with it. Unregistered listings will be taken off the platform.
We’re preparing to register under the new STR law, but we’re interested to hear from hosts who currently host in jurisdictions with similar (maximum nights) restrictions.
Does Airbnb actually close off your calendars?
Also, in the Japan law, a “night” is technically defined as a full stay from 12am to 12am, so a one night booking from 4pm to 11am the next day would not need to be declared (AFAIK).
Do you think Airbnb would account for this?
I dont know anything, but I would think that if airbnb says they will allow 180 nights a year, they are going to count every night booked.
That’d be harsh…
Why would it be harsh to count every night booked?, it would just be enforcing your local/central governments regulations.
In London, the maximum is 90 days for those with whole listings. I have friends in London with flats that they Airbnb and Airbnb do cap after the 90 days.
I really don’t understand your point about if you have a check in from 4 p.m. to 11.00 a.m. it shouldn’t/wouldn’t count. Of course it would, or there would be no point introducing the regulation. A night is a night, whatever time your guest arrives or leaves within that period.
Thanks for your input Helsi! That data point about London was useful.
It is interesting in London there was lots of push back against the enforcement of regulations (regulations had always been there just had never been enforced).
However despite concerns, the STR market for Airbnb in London has increased, rather than decreased since the regulations have been brought in.
What I am not sure about is whether other STR listing companies enforce the 90 day limit.
It is probably still illegal, but someone said what some people do to get past the airbnb block is to split it into 2 listings.
Interesting @janeandcharley how would splitting a place in two help in the case of say London where the block relates to a whole listing?
Well I just read it somewhere, but from what I could tell it was just to get around the airbnb block. Sounds like it would be illegal/ possibly unethical. So they would have one listing, whole house 2 bedroom house say for 90 days, then take it down and create a new listing for 2 separate bedrooms for 90 days (that is really a whole house listing), then take that down after 90 days are booked, recreate a new listing for whole house…etc etc and so on. Airbnb doesn’t restrict how many listings you have and they don’t check to make sure you aren’t listing the same place twice, or 3 times, etc. I am NOT encouraging this, just saw somewhere that is what people were doing. I assume even if Airbnb doesn’t figure it out, the government could do so fairly easily, and that seems like a bigger issue.
That’s very interesting 
@janeandcharley
My friends do it legally ninety days during peak season and then nine month let rest of the time to academics.