4 ms·

Sorry I'm having trouble following this argument, what is the risk? A couple guesses I had: -Do you think they'll start a fire and burn the neighborhood down?

• tptacek 14y ago
  This question is disingenuous. The risks involved here are obvious. When you acquire a lease from a landlord, the landlord screens you. Many check references. Arbitrary apartments in arbitrary buildings are not a product offered anonymously, like candy bars or Macbooks. In addition to the lurid- but- non-negligible risks you bring up, there are more pedestrian problems with transient tenants: * They may leave outer door locks unlocked * They may let random strangers into the building * They create noise * They can damage the building * They create fire and electrical hazards * They create unsafe unsanitary conditions It is, again, disingenuous to imply that these are new concerns brought up to stymie offerings like Airbnb. These have always been concerns. Do a Google news search for "hotel zoning". People protest, often successfully, proposed zoning changes that would allow new hotels.
  • sami36 14y ago
    How about a 4* star hotel or an SPG property ? is your conception of a hotel an off-the-ramp motel 6 in the Ghetto. You do realize that some of the wealthiest people in the country abandon homeownership for a care-free hotel life (Marissa Mayer, Harry Reid...others.) To me, you sound like a poor schmuck with a Mustang lecturing a Porsche owner about luxury.
    • tptacek 14y ago
      None of this comment rebuts any point I made in my comment.
      • sami36 14y ago
        It does, actually. It challenges your mistaken understanding of a what "hotel" stands for, its patrons, their economic social status & their affluence in relation to your average dweller.
    • rayiner 14y ago
      I lived next to a 4 star hotel in Chicago. The transient patrons attracted a steady stream of prostitutes in and out of the hotel.
      • sami36 14y ago
        frequented by good morally-unquestionable family men living clean lives in clean homes., right ? WHO can afford escorts & 4* hotels ? Thank you, you've made my point for me. You might want to revisit your idea, I mean, fantasy of the wholesome residential subdivision. Stepford wives & all. My point is, if you've failed to grasp it, you're no better than the average AirBnb customer, not worse either. Just don't go trying to perpetuate some manufactured falsehood to reinforce your hostility towards a company whose business model you disagree with.
  • jvm 14y ago
    I protest that my comment was not "disingenuous." You raise valid points about being in the same building with airbnb guests. Your original comment was about zoning, which implied to me that you were against being in the same neighborhood with airbnb guests since zoning regulation is at the neighborhood level. Issues that involve being in the same building with airbnb guests could be easily dealt with in the lease. Some landlords would allow it and some wouldn't, and you could just choose to live in a building that didn't allow it if you didn't want to deal with it. I'm completely in favor of lease terms being strictly enforced. Regarding crime and fires it sounds like we may have to agree to disagree. My perspective as a New Yorker may be different from people elsewhere. The idea of travelers in my neighborhood does not fill me with dread for my life and limb, but of course I already assume there already are many travelers in my neighborhood on any given night. Finally, the fact that an argument has been used by someone in support of their political goals has pretty much no correlation with whether that argument is valid. Talk about disingenuous...