Morning Headlines: Soaring Rental Rates for Week of Pope’s Visit to Philly

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Let’s face it, the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia in late September is probably the biggest story of the year for the region. While everyone is excited about the possibility of one million people packing the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a Papal Mass/celebration, it begs one question: Where the heck are all of these people going to stay? (Also, will Pope Francis I being doing something artsy?)

The Inquirer checks in with a few people who are opening up their home during that time, some renting them out and others choosing to participate in the host guest program. So, how much would a home in Coatesville–about an hour outside of the city–run you for this historic event? How does $15,000 sound?

At the price Smith’s charging – which even she dubbed “ungodly” – “dinner will be waiting for you when you arrive and breakfast in the morning and the fridge will be fully stocked,” she said.

Smith’s three-bedroom house is among hundreds of properties already up for rent in the week of Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia.

A man is trying to rent out his one-bedroom apartment in Rittenhouse for $10,000/night. Here’s what AirBnB looks like at this very moment for that weekend.

The World Meeting of Families has 300 people signed up to be home families for the week of the conference. Suggested rates for guests are $30 to $50, but it’s up to the homeowners.

So, what if you wanted to take part in the rent-a-palooza? From The Inquirer:

In Philadelphia, property owners interested in renting a room or house are required to obtain a housing inspection license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections. The rule mostly pertains to people who are renting space consistently and “generally would not apply to homeowners that provide temporary rooming to a family member, guest, or visitor in their home,” said L&I Deputy Commissioner Ralph DiPietro. “This is especially true for one-time events.”

Update (01/08/15):

Officials told NBC10 to not worry about getting a short-term in this instance. A word of caution: while L&I is more concerned about thwarting “unlicensed boarding houses” than this one time rental during the visit from the Pope, officials say “everything can be looked at on a case-by-case basis.” Also, you’ll have to pay taxes to the state, so keep that in mind as well.

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