Airbnb says it’s cleaned up listings in Portland

PORTLAND — Airbnb said last week that it removed 44 Portland listings earlier this year that violated local laws and could push housing costs higher, but the company argued such listings aren’t the norm.

The statement pushes back against a recent report from the data journalism website FiveThirtyEight, which found 15.6 percent of Portland Airbnb listings were entire housing units listed for 180 days a year or more. The city was second only to Honolulu in those listings.

That analysis came the same day Willamette Week reported an Airbnb employee had posted properties on the website that apparently broke the Portland’s rules.

Airbnb said it periodically reviews listings in Portland to find those in violation of city code, which requires that a short-term rental listing also be the owner’s primary residence unless it’s a commercially operated bed and breakfast or hotel.

It’s removed 44 listings, posted by 13 users, since November, the company said.

It also said many of the listings that appear to be commercial in nature are accessory dwelling units — that is, an apartment within a single-family house or on the same property — which can legally be rented out under the city’s code.

It also said commercial hotels or bed and breakfasts use the site to advertise their business, which is also legal.

Critics have said Airbnb gives property owners an incentive to operate as hotels rather than renting to long-term residents, limiting the housing supply and pushing housing costs higher.

FiveThirtyEight found that Airbnbs had not yet had much of an effect on housing costs.