Airbnb finds it pays to make peace with taxman in booming Mexico

Mexico City

WHEN Elvira Fernandez decided to turn her Mexico City apartment into a temporary rental space through Airbnb Inc, she never imagined she'd be cashing in as much as 50 per cent more than a long-term lease would've yielded.

Ms Fernandez has a lengthy list of reasons why Airbnb is her best bet: She doesn't have to deal with lawyers, guarantors, unpaid rents or bad tenants. She receives the money on time, directly from Airbnb, and can immediately cancel a reservation if a visitor misbehaves. Not that she's had to resort to that; her experience so far has been nearly perfect.

"My first rental was a couple that stayed for a month and a half, so I've been really lucky," the 39-year-old historian said from Mexico City. At first, she thought it'd be a tough se…