Airbnb Legal Issues and Statistics in Chicago

The Rooms in Chicago

Airbnb hosts can rent out entire properties, private or shared rooms.

4 955 – listings in total
3 843 (78%) – entire properties
1 064(21%) – private rooms
48 (1%) – shared rooms.

Guest Activity in Chicago

Airbnb guests may leave a review after their stay, and these can be used to estimate Airbnb guests activity. However not all guests leave a review, so the actual activity could be higher.

$174 – average daily rate
65% – occupancy rate
$2 343 – revenue.

Host Activity in Chicago

When you assess the Airbnb market in Chicago, you’ll notice that there are some hosts who have multiple listings and some that have single listings, just like everywhere else in the world. Also, owners can list their property on 1 or more platforms.

67% – listed on Airbnb
12% – listed on Vrbo
21% – listed on both.

Property Availability

Airbnb hosts have full freedom when it comes to selecting how available their property or rooms are. For instance, by utilizing the calendar tool, a host can set their property to be available for just one week in a year. Alternatively, another example is a host setting their rooms to be available for 11-months out of the 12.

Available
1-90 Days
91-180 Days
181-270 Days
271-365 Days

Properties
3592
1496
1292
1387

Airbnb laws and regulation in Chicago

Is Airbnb legal in Chicago?

Yes, but local laws require real estate owners to register and get a business license.

More information about Airbnb business license and registration

The Chicago City Council enacted the original Shared Housing Ordinance on June 22, 2016, and then passed reform measures on September 9, 2020. The updated ordinance continues to regulate short-term residential rental activities in the City of Chicago.

As of June 1, 2021, all individuals who wish to participate in short-term residential rental activities must now begin the registration process directly with the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago has developed an online house share registration portal that all potential hosts must utilize to initiate their application for a short-term residential rental registration. Potential hosts will no longer be able to begin this process with the licensed Short Term Residential Rental Intermediaries.

If you are a host of a short-term residential rental, you may fall into one or more of three categories:

Shared Housing Host
Shared Housing Unit Operator
Vacation Rental.

Chicago has different registration and licensing rules for each category. More information read here.

Cost of a license for owners vacation rental property, based on a two-year term – 250$.

Sources

Hosts with multiple listings are more likely to be running a business. So, after figuring out statistics and having understood legal issues, consider using Hosty’s Airbnb Business toolkit. Hosty is the vacation rental management software focused on Airbnb Entrepreneurs. Hosty’s solution can help you manage your rentals expertly and remotely. Whether you manage one property or 100, Hosty can help you stay organized. See all of your listings in our Multi-calendar and message guests with our easy to use messaging system. And the best part? It’s free to try!

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