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> people want cheap rent, access to tourism dollars, and to preserve the "feeling" of their city. The people that want 'tourism dollars' are not the same as th

> people want cheap rent, access to tourism dollars, and to preserve the "feeling" of their city. The people that want 'tourism dollars' are not the same as those who want affordable rent in the city they were born and raised. The key issue (at least in Europe) is that Airbnb has reduced the access barrier of landlords to a tax avoindance revenue stream. If you are sharing a room in your house in the summer that's a side gig. If you are buying flats left and right and giving them to an agent to manage you Airbnb reservations then that is just a Hotel without the regulations and upfront costs and taxes that should come with it.

charlesdm 7y ago
On the flipside, the city of Barcelona is no longer handing out tourist licenses to property owners, even if they want to run a licensed rental apartment. A tourist license could be had for a one time €200 fee before, and apartments with these licenses are actually often 20 to 30% higher in purchase price than those without. Hotels are also actively lobbying against the further handing out of these licenses (because Airbnb rental apartments tend to be much better value for money -- even if you run everything legally and by the book). There are always two sides to a story.
geezerjay 7y ago
> The key issue (at least in Europe) is that Airbnb has reduced the access barrier of landlords to a tax avoindance revenue stream. This baseless assertion is patently false. AirBnB is only a middlemen in a business that's heavily legislated and monitored by both law enforcement and pressure groups. Local governments award and manage permits for local housing which are based on quotas, and in some jurisdictions actually force tax rates close to 30%.