The building where a fire broke out early morning appears to have housed a guesthouse. Twelve foreign travellers were rescued from Airbnb apartments. The Metropolitan Police is currently investigating whether the rental apartments were properly and correctly registered with the authorities.
Read more: 12 travellers rescued after fire broke out in a building with Airbnb apartments in Reykjavík
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that the house appears to have been operated as a guesthouse. It is not clear whether the guesthouse had proper permits, a spokesman for the Metropolitan police told RÚV. The Reykjavík Sheriff's department did not respond to questions about the matter.
Last year the city of Reykjavík introduced regulation on Airbnbs to get the growth of the Airnbnb industry under control. Only a fifth of Airbnbs have been registered and have all required permits in place.
Read more: Only one in five Airbnbs have been registered with authorities
Among the concerns of the authorities is that large Airbnb operators who own several apartments have been avoiding taxes by not registering their rental properties correctly. The Directorate of Internal Revenue suspects that 15% of the most active Airbnb operators, those who rent out more than five apartments, fail to report their full income to the authorities.
Read more: Authorities believe 15% of the most active Airbnb operators in Iceland are tax cheats
The building where a fire broke out early morning appears to have housed a guesthouse. Twelve foreign travellers were rescued from Airbnb apartments. The Metropolitan Police is currently investigating whether the rental apartments were properly and correctly registered with the authorities.
Read more: 12 travellers rescued after fire broke out in a building with Airbnb apartments in Reykjavík
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that the house appears to have been operated as a guesthouse. It is not clear whether the guesthouse had proper permits, a spokesman for the Metropolitan police told RÚV. The Reykjavík Sheriff's department did not respond to questions about the matter.
Last year the city of Reykjavík introduced regulation on Airbnbs to get the growth of the Airnbnb industry under control. Only a fifth of Airbnbs have been registered and have all required permits in place.
Read more: Only one in five Airbnbs have been registered with authorities
Among the concerns of the authorities is that large Airbnb operators who own several apartments have been avoiding taxes by not registering their rental properties correctly. The Directorate of Internal Revenue suspects that 15% of the most active Airbnb operators, those who rent out more than five apartments, fail to report their full income to the authorities.
Read more: Authorities believe 15% of the most active Airbnb operators in Iceland are tax cheats
