Federal Judge Throws Out Aimco's Lawsuit Against Airbnb
A Los Angeles federal judge has tossed out an Aimco lawsuit against San Francisco-based Airbnb. Aimco sued Airbnb in early 2017, saying the short-term rental platform was responsible for tenants who were violating their leases by listing their apartments on the site, the Mercury News reports. Aimco’s leases do not allow tenants to sublet their apartments.
The judge ruled Airbnb was protected under the Communications Decency Act, which does not make sites liable for content published by third parties, and Airbnb was not responsible for tenants choosing to violate their leases.
Aimco, which owns apartments throughout the U.S., said tenants were complaining about Airbnb guests creating noise, damaging the property and creating safety concerns within buildings, particularly within its Los Angeles properties.
The landlord said it needed to increase security because of additional unauthorized guests. The property owner asked Airbnb to remove Aimco tenants, but Airbnb did not.
Airbnb has been working toward building closer ties with building owners, launching its Friendly Builders Program, a revenue-sharing platform between property owners and residents, in 2016. It also is planning to create branded apartments with Newgard Development Group.
