Two years after Chicago passed a home-sharing law, only Airbnb has a license, and hosts say rules are too complicated

CHICAGO - Rosalind and Eric Bowden received a surprising letter from the city right around Christmas, notifying them that because they didn't delete an unauthorized listing on Airbnb, they were believed to be in violation of a Chicago law regulating short-term rentals.

But the Bowdens had disabled bookings for a first-floor room in their South Side home to comply with an earlier notice from the city asking them to "remove" the listing. It no longer showed up in search results, the couple said, and only could be accessed with a direct link.

Still, not actually deleting the listing could prove to be an expensive error. They face potential fines of between $1,500 and $5,000 per day for the 37 days city officials allege they violated the law - a sum "many times over anything I ever made on Airbnb," Rosalind Bowden said.

The short-term rental ordinance, which was approved by the City Council nearly two years ago and went into full effect last