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AirBnB will collect 8% hotel tax if you book rooms in Schaumburg

Airbnb said Wednesday it has signed a deal with Schaumburg to start collecting an 8 percent hotel tax for rooms rented in private homes in the village.

Beginning June 1, Airbnb will collect the tax from renters and then those taxes will be given to the village.

Rooms in private homes in Schaumburg that are marketed on Airbnb range from $39 to $145 per night. Prices can fluctuate daily, Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit said.

"We don't see this as competing with local hotels," Breit said. "It appeals to a different type of traveler, one who cannot afford a hotel or just wants to stay in a neighborhood."

San Francisco, California-based Airbnb, founded in 2008, also has tax collection deals with Chicago, Oak Park and others.

Schaumburg officials contacted Airbnb to strike the tax deal after a controversy erupted last year when an elaborate treehouse in town was marketed on Airbnb for $195 a night and the village did not know it operated as a rental.

Schaumburg Finance Director Lisa Happ declined to say how much the suburb could gain in revenue, although Airbnb said it was used 300 times last year in Schaumburg. If each stay was for one night at $100, the village would gain $2,400.

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Dan Alexander's treehouse in Schaumburg became controversial when village officials learned he rented it out on Airbnb. Now Airbnb is collecting an 8 percent hotel tax from all those who rent rooms in Schaumburg starting June 1. DAILY HERALD FILE PHOTO
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