A Boston undergrad student is in a bad position with his school for attempting to lease his apartment on the online renting startup website Airbnb.
The college student listed his dormitory room at Emerson College in downtown Boston on the website in January, as indicated by an appeal on the site Change.org tiled "Free Jack Worth", which is requesting that the school drop disciplinary procedures against him.
"There is nothing criminal with providing cheap housing to travellers," said a supporter and fellow student, Ari Howorth, on the petition. "Jack Worth gave travellers from far and wide a taste of Boston life and the Emerson experience simply because he wanted to help those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the downtown area."
The appeal, which 180 individuals had signed on to for support by Monday, said that Worth was effectively confronted with $150 in fines and could be expelled from the school as an aftereffect of pending misconduct allegations.
An Emerson representative declined to release comments on the specific case, referring to security rules, yet said that the school does not permit its students to sublet their dorm rooms.
"The Emerson College residence hall policy and the housing contract that undergraduate residents sign prohibit students from subleasing or renting College housing units or beds to protect residents and the community from exposure to safety and security risks," Emerson representative Andy Tiedemann writes in his response email.
The San Francisco-based start up, which has been growing quickly, has confronted feedback that it skirts laws planned to secure hotel clients and taxing of the service. In 2015 the $25.5 billion organization effectively battled off a push to confine short-term rentals in its home city.
"We ask all of our hosts to follow their local rules and regulations," said Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty.
The student has been avoiding interviews and refuse to disclose his statements publicly.
