Exactly. Banning people from renting out their place on Airbnb is actually what's rent-seeking. It means you get to enjoy lower rent, but at the expense of the

Exactly. Banning people from renting out their place on Airbnb is actually what's rent-seeking. It means you get to enjoy lower rent, but at the expense of the unit's full economic potential being utilized. In economic terms, if a unit can fetch a higher rent being rented short term, then it provides more economic value as a short term rental, and laws preventing that reduce economic utility.