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Time to solve the housing crisis...
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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I agree. A lot of the trouble that Airbnb causes can be mitigated with simple regulations that we already have in place. Additionally, we should recognize that Airbnb is currently filling a void in the market that hotels aren't currently filling. There are times when people want to rent a place to stay for a full week or a month and also not have to pay to eat out every night. Airbnb allows you to rent a place that's generally cheaper for longer stays and also provides a basic kitchen including cookware and dishes. Hotels just don't have that unless you pay a premium. The only other thing they offer, which I'm on the fence about, is the ability to rent a place in close proximity or directly in a specific neighborhood or town as opposed to whatever area has a hotel to host tourists. On the one hand, that's super nice for exploring cities and doing non-touristy things. On the other hand, residents deserve some separation from tourists especially since they don't all behave. If hotels can find a way to fill these gaps, then I'd be ok with banning Airbnb. But we can also just regulate Airbnb 🤷
I feel like several advantages of Airbnb comes specifically from the lack of regulation. I'm speculating, but I imagine installing kitchens and maintaining them costs quite a lot as a hotel, with probably stricter and more expensive regulations compared to an Airbnb. I wouldn't be surprised if Airbnbs were regulated similarly to hotels, that they'd be priced higher due to all the costs. It doesn't make sense to me that a hotel, with 10s or hundreds of units, where not all units have to be rented out at once, is more expensive than a single property home where the whole unit must be rented out at once, and it takes up a bigger space. not to mention the inefficiency of repairs, and cleaning.
You might be right on the potential cost, but aren't all Residence Inns basically this? I don't think they cost that much more than other hotels.
It’s not the regulations, generally. Hotels are simply more cost effective for corporate management and ROI. If you want to make 20-25% a year you maximize units and minimize land expense and labor to manage. That it costs $10-30M is not a barrier to entry for a large corporation. AirBnB is less profitable but has substantially lower barriers to entry, especially if you lie about owner occupied status (which nearly all do when starting it).
The regulatory angle only really gets put in play because the land is cheaper due to improper zoning (residential is less expensive than commercial) and if the owners are dodging taxes.
Putting up private rooms/homes for short term vacation rentals is nothing new and has been a thing since long before Airbnb. They have the same regulations as any private lease, which differ from commercial regulations for the same reason why your parents house doesn't have lit exit signs and wheelchair ramps.
I used to work away a lot, an airbnb was always a considered option - even when my meals were paid for. Sometimes you want to have a place to chill at for the week, not just a room.
Saying that though I generally didn't use airbnb for this, booking.com often has holiday lets as well - or better yet go directly to the owner's website.
Air BNB also exposed another aspect of the market as they can be so damn cheap, for a house to stay in! It's clear there's something scammy going on when the best option for me and my friends visiting New York was to rent an Air BNB loft for two weeks instead of a hotel.