MIAMI (AP) – Miami-Dade homeowners frequently renting stays to Airbnb customers risk losing their homestead exemptions.

The Miami Herald reports (http://hrld.us/2mbEfRO) this is the latest example of the popular “home sharing” service dividing the county’s political establishment.

A one-page flier prepared by the office of Property Appraiser Pedro Garcia carried the headline “Homestead Exemption Fraud and Airbnb” and warns that Miami-Dade property owners utilizing the property-tax discount may be violating the law if they also rent to Airbnb travelers.

Chris Lehane, the company’s head of global policy, said Airbnb’s model serves as a complement to the homestead exemption, since both lower the cost of homeownership.

 

Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com