The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Public Welfare Crimes Investigation Division reported on the 11th that 146 individuals were booked between January and November this year for operating illegal lodging facilities through Airbnb (a shared lodging platform). Most cases involved using office-tels, study rooms, and multi-family houses as illegal lodging facilities.
The cases of using buildings that are not lodging facilities as illegal lodging places increased from 17 cases in 2022 to 100 cases in 2023, and 146 cases from January to November 2024. Since a lodging business operation report certificate is not required when registering lodging information on shared lodging platforms, illegal lodging facilities have increased despite crackdowns, according to the Public Welfare Crimes Investigation Division.
Airbnb has mandated since last October that a business operation report certificate be submitted when registering new accommodations. Already registered accommodations will have a one-year grace period until October next year. Furthermore, if the Public Welfare Crimes Investigation Division notifies them of illegal lodging facility information, they will remove the establishments from the Airbnb app.
To prevent tax evasion, the Public Welfare Crimes Investigation Division plans to hand over the relevant data to the National Tax Service as soon as they complete investigations into illegal lodging facilities. Reports of illegal lodging facilities can be made via the Seoul Smart Inconvenience Reporting app. The Seoul Metropolitan Government urged, “If you discover acts of illegal lodging targeting tourists and others, please actively report them.”