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Until Airbnb works out a better way to handle their negative externalities (living in a neighborhood with lots of Airbnbs can be miserable), this seems like it'

Until Airbnb works out a better way to handle their negative externalities (living in a neighborhood with lots of Airbnbs can be miserable), this seems like it'll be good for people who actually live in their homes. When their business impacts my ability to sleep at night or park in my own driveway, I lose a lot of sympathy for the speculators who own these properties.

houseinthesky 3y ago
This argument comes up on HN frequently but doesn't seem particularly compelling to me. We have laws and regulations around things like noise, parking, etc which apply equally to homeowners, long term renters, short term renters, guests, contractors, etc. Does having a neighbor who rents their place on Airbnb really change your life compared to a neighbor who has frequent social gatherings or has a large family or works night shift? It seems like the correct solution here is to improve action by parking enforcement, towing companies, building security, HOA or police depending on the exact issue and severity, rather than take away the right of people to rent out their place.
- cosmotic 3y ago
  Having neighbors report violations to authorities is still externalizing the problem.
- Rebelgecko 3y ago
  The difference with AirBnB is a) it attracts a different crowd/behaviors. eg someone on vacation is more likely to be blasting music at 1am on a Wednesday than someone who has work the next day. And they're more likely to screw up basic etiquette like "don't park on my property" that comes more easily to people who know where the property line is. b) It's potentially a different person staying every day. So I can go over and say "please turn down your music" tonight, but 3 days later I have to go and do it all over again when a new person is staying there. Having confrontations with strangers is not fun for me. Some cities with licensing are more proactive about making the owners responsible for their customer's actions, but that isnt the case everywhere. Plus even though Airbnb house party shootings are relatively rare, having to ask someone to be quiet or move their car is still probably the most dangerous thing you'll do on a given day.
- dano 3y ago
  Yes. When rented Fri and Sat evenings it's a party house. Rented by the week to families is okay. Source: the house next to me is a short term rental.
Spartan-S63 3y ago
Further, I think local laws and ordnances like this (if this carries outside of NYC) will disincentivize the view that housing is an investment vehicle and shift the view to it being a consumable. The proliferation of short term rentals has had negative effects on housing affordability across the country, so anything that helps pop this bubble is a net benefit to new homeowners. I couldn't care less about existing homeowners and declining property values in the face of increasing supply because owning your housing should be expensive, but not something that's unreachable with unsustainable asset inflation without similar real wage increases.

houseinthesky 3y ago

This argument comes up on HN frequently but doesn't seem particularly compelling to me. We have laws and regulations around things like noise, parking, etc which apply equally to homeowners, long term renters, short term renters, guests, contractors, etc. Does having a neighbor who rents their place on Airbnb really change your life compared to a neighbor who has frequent social gatherings or has a large family or works night shift? It seems like the correct solution here is to improve action by parking enforcement, towing companies, building security, HOA or police depending on the exact issue and severity, rather than take away the right of people to rent out their place.

cosmotic 3y ago
Having neighbors report violations to authorities is still externalizing the problem.
Rebelgecko 3y ago
The difference with AirBnB is a) it attracts a different crowd/behaviors. eg someone on vacation is more likely to be blasting music at 1am on a Wednesday than someone who has work the next day. And they're more likely to screw up basic etiquette like "don't park on my property" that comes more easily to people who know where the property line is. b) It's potentially a different person staying every day. So I can go over and say "please turn down your music" tonight, but 3 days later I have to go and do it all over again when a new person is staying there. Having confrontations with strangers is not fun for me. Some cities with licensing are more proactive about making the owners responsible for their customer's actions, but that isnt the case everywhere. Plus even though Airbnb house party shootings are relatively rare, having to ask someone to be quiet or move their car is still probably the most dangerous thing you'll do on a given day.
dano 3y ago
Yes. When rented Fri and Sat evenings it's a party house. Rented by the week to families is okay. Source: the house next to me is a short term rental.

Spartan-S63 3y ago

Further, I think local laws and ordnances like this (if this carries outside of NYC) will disincentivize the view that housing is an investment vehicle and shift the view to it being a consumable. The proliferation of short term rentals has had negative effects on housing affordability across the country, so anything that helps pop this bubble is a net benefit to new homeowners. I couldn't care less about existing homeowners and declining property values in the face of increasing supply because owning your housing should be expensive, but not something that's unreachable with unsustainable asset inflation without similar real wage increases.