You will have to pay a little bit more if you're looking for a home-share accommodation in Windsor.
The City of Windsor has begun collecting a four per cent accommodation tax for rooms and housing that are put up for accommodation via the Airbnb app. The city already collects an accommodation tax through its existing hotels and motels, but according to Airbnb Canada public policy director Alex Dagg, the principle is the same for home-sharing.
"If you book an Airbnb in Windsor, in our case if you book it online, you will see that there is a four per cent tax attached to your final price," said Dagg, adding that the arrangement is no different from a conventional hotel or motel.
Windsor has been collecting this tax on accommodations since October 2018, and it is very common in cities around the world.
Dagg said Windsor is a strong market for Airbnb properties, one of the most popular in Ontario. The company approached the city earlier this year to put together an arrangement that not only would show off the options offered by Airbnb, but also put more cash in the city's coffers.
"We agreed to step into the shoes of the Airbnb host community in Windsor and collect this four per cent on their behalf through our platform, then remit the tax to the city of Windsor on a quarterly basis," said Dagg.
Some municipalities across Canada have set aside their share of Airbnb tax revenue for tourism and other programs. The city of Windsor will split its share between tourism-related initiatives and Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI).
Airbnb is similar to the ride-sharing apps of Uber and Lyft, where property owners maintain and host travellers on their properties. Dagg said hosting travellers or setting aside their homes for visitors is a great way to earn extra money.
"People are really turning to it as a way of earning supplemental income," said Dagg. "A lot of times, people turn to it because they stayed in an Airbnb when they were travelling and said 'Oh, I can do this in my home too.'"
For complete information on the city's accommodation tax, visit the official website.