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Something that this article hasn't touched on, but I'm sure will be a big issue in the coming years, is the legality of Airbnb's service. Right now they are cru

by TheGRS 11y ago

Something that this article hasn't touched on, but I'm sure will be a big issue in the coming years, is the legality of Airbnb's service. Right now they are cruising along without much risk in that area, but that's only because its a new service. Here in Portland there are already some people who are purchasing properties from out of town just so they can rent on Airbnb, which for our town is putting even more stress on the exploding rent market. I have a feeling the other foot is going to drop on many of these sharing services at some point. source: http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23993-hotel_california.html http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23993-hotel_california... Not that I'm personally against the service, I think its a great alternative to traditional motels/hotels, but it should be more for people looking to share an unused room than as a way to get more bang for their buck on their rent.

stevesearer 11y ago
I've been noticing a bunch of random people hanging out on my street (a cul-de-sac) in Santa Barbara recently and found that one of my neighbors is renting their rooms on Airbnb. I'm totally fine with it, except that the street already has limited parking. More cars equals less street parking for my family which sucks when we have to carry our 3mo old daughter + groceries a long ways down the street.
- ianferrel 11y ago
  Do you think Airbnb renters have more cars on average than someone renting the place more long-term?
  - theflyingkiwi42 11y ago
    Yes, if the Airbnb hosts rents out additional rooms. Now those rooms have additional cars where without those renters, only the owner would have one (or two) cars.
    - ianferrel 11y ago
      But why wouldn't whoever was renting those rooms long-term have a car? If you're comparing "single person in a house with multiple bedrooms" to "multiple people in a house with multiple bedrooms", then it's fairly obvious that the latter case would have park more cars on average. But if there are people renting those rooms, I don't see how it matters if they're there for the weekend or for a year.
      - stevesearer 11y ago
        Not all people who host on Airbnb would rent those same rooms out long term though. It is common for people to live in a home and not have every bedroom occupied by a car owning adult. Sometimes the extra rooms are used as offices or guest bedrooms or children's bedrooms. I have no idea when my neighbor would be doing otherwise. My point though was less about Airbnb causing the problem and more about stating that city officials need to think about how these sorts of scenarios affect citizens when they are making planning decisions. Would there be enough parking with all of the bedrooms in this complex were occupied by a driving adult? Or what happens when the condo design had to include a two-car garage, but tenants use the garage as storage and then park on the street?
    - collyw 11y ago
      I am based in Spain where we are not so car centric (most people I know don't own one, and parking in cities is a pain). The one time we used Airbnb, we hired a car as well to get to the location, so I agree it probably adds more car pressure.

by TheGRS 11y ago

stevesearer 11y ago

I've been noticing a bunch of random people hanging out on my street (a cul-de-sac) in Santa Barbara recently and found that one of my neighbors is renting their rooms on Airbnb. I'm totally fine with it, except that the street already has limited parking. More cars equals less street parking for my family which sucks when we have to carry our 3mo old daughter + groceries a long ways down the street.

ianferrel 11y ago
Do you think Airbnb renters have more cars on average than someone renting the place more long-term?
- theflyingkiwi42 11y ago
  Yes, if the Airbnb hosts rents out additional rooms. Now those rooms have additional cars where without those renters, only the owner would have one (or two) cars.
  - ianferrel 11y ago
    But why wouldn't whoever was renting those rooms long-term have a car? If you're comparing "single person in a house with multiple bedrooms" to "multiple people in a house with multiple bedrooms", then it's fairly obvious that the latter case would have park more cars on average. But if there are people renting those rooms, I don't see how it matters if they're there for the weekend or for a year.
    - stevesearer 11y ago
      Not all people who host on Airbnb would rent those same rooms out long term though. It is common for people to live in a home and not have every bedroom occupied by a car owning adult. Sometimes the extra rooms are used as offices or guest bedrooms or children's bedrooms. I have no idea when my neighbor would be doing otherwise. My point though was less about Airbnb causing the problem and more about stating that city officials need to think about how these sorts of scenarios affect citizens when they are making planning decisions. Would there be enough parking with all of the bedrooms in this complex were occupied by a driving adult? Or what happens when the condo design had to include a two-car garage, but tenants use the garage as storage and then park on the street?
  - collyw 11y ago
    I am based in Spain where we are not so car centric (most people I know don't own one, and parking in cities is a pain). The one time we used Airbnb, we hired a car as well to get to the location, so I agree it probably adds more car pressure.