Re:Airbnb Is a Risky Neighbor
by tptacek on Saturday June 21, 2014 @03:46PM
(#7925890)
No, you've oversimplified again. Many whole-home Airbnb rentals --- most, if the narrative of the site is to believed --- are owner-occupied. They don't have the inventory risk problem. A hotel is an investment that must make some minimum return, or else go out of business.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
I had the impression that most AirBnbs in NYC were not owner-occupied but full-time AirBnbs and that's what people were complaining about.
Anyways if you improve the legal alternatives and the margins get low enough I think a lot of the owner-occupied ones will simply give up. Right now it's so insanely profitable that it's well worth the work and inconveniences (and legal risk!) even for middle class people.