Airbnb wants Boston to loosen its rental rules for World Cup next summer

Next summer’s World Cup matches are already spiking demands for lodging in the Boston area. Short-term rental site Airbnb wants the city to let more Boston residents rent out their space.

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is set to host seven World Cup matches from June 13 to July 9, drawing hundreds of thousands of global visitors to the Boston region.

Hotel prices in Boston around game days have surged more than 250%. And demand for short-term rentals across the region is triple compared to the same time period this past summer, according to the data analytics platform AirDNA.

Airbnb expects roughly 17,000 guests to book stays with the platform in the Boston area during the World Cup, according to a study it commissioned. That would generate more than $16 million for Airbnb hosts — or an average of $5,200 per stay.

“We're viewing the World Cup as a once in a generation opportunity for the city of Boston economically,” said Britte McBride, Airbnb’s public policy manager for New England. “But it’s also a real-world stress test to see if the city's going to be able to accommodate the influx of people expected next summer.”

Airbnb has called on Boston and another host city, Vancouver, to temporarily loosen the restrictions surrounding short term rentals in order to free up more lodging. Boston, for example, only allows those who own their home and count it as their primary residence to rent out their space. Renters can't sublet, and people with second homes can't list that property.

McBride said creating a “special event exemption” would allow Boston to temporarily relax the rules for housing and allow neighborhoods that aren’t considered hospitality hotspots, like Nubian Square in Roxbury, to “see the benefit of tourism spending.”

A spokesperson for Boston mayor Michelle Wu didn't respond to questions about any potential change to the short-term rental rules. As a city councilor, Wu was a proponent of tougher regulations for Airbnb rentals. 

The World Cup is just one of the major events taking place next summer. The 250th anniversary of July 4, 1776 as well as the return of tall ships to Boston Harbor will add to the tourism bonanza.