Despite strict laws and a dedicated enforcement team, Santa Monica’s battle against illegal short term rentals is essentially a game of whack-a-mole, according to a report by city staff. Online violators use an array of tactics to outwit investigators, including deleting listings during City Hall business hours and manipulating addresses to appear to be in Los Angeles.

Despite hundreds of listings here, only 187 home-shares are actually registered with the city. The report says it is difficult to know the exact number of illegal listings because platforms like AirBnb refuse to provide data to the code enforcement on the number of listings within city limits. In May 2017, an independent data analyst estimated there were 950 AirBnbs in Santa Monica.
Despite the threat of fines, the report found illegal home-shares are a lucrative underground business.

Read More: http://smdp.com/report-airbnb-hosts-make-millions-in-santa-monica-from-illegal-listings/164554