The primary housing problem here is an influx of people from more-expensive cities (LA, SF, Seattle, NYC) moving in and snapping up homes to actually live in. Meanwhile the city is making it difficult for developers to add any real housing density within the Urban Growth Boundary (and instead are thinking about expanding the UGB. Ugh.).
So there's no real "problem" aside from Portland is a desirable city to live in and people are flocking to here.
1. Pricing in major markets is no longer competitive with hotels. Since most Airbnb properties lack anything close to the amenities offered by hotels, it's just not economically compelling anymore.
2. The last several times I've stayed, I've felt the effects of the new scrutiny. I've been to clandestine meetings with hosts, purportedly on premises, only later to find out that the listed address is false. "Enter through the alley door," and, "Say you're my cousin, if anyone asks" are typically elements of the conversations. That's not what I pay for.
Now, my first choice is hotels, and it's only the rare case that I opt for Airbnb.
Why? You're making the notion of landlords illegal? What purpose does this solve, what benefit is there? Why should I not be allowed to purchase a house and then place a tenant in it?
In many places the rental community is larger than the homeowner community, these houses would simply sit on the market, rather than have someone buy it and put a renter in it. How on earth can you justify making home rentals illegal?
Not taking any side in this debate, but that makes some economic sense to me.
Why is this bad?
It makes houses within walking distance 2-4x as expensive, houses in the target area about 1.5-3x as expensive.
Without Airbnb, the only difference is that you'd have more shared disgusting hotel rooms.
And cheaper real estate, as fewer properties are bought up to rent out on a short term basis.
All these problems revolve around rich folks investing in real estate to make a buck - that that is even a thing, is insane.
Housing is for people to live in, not for you to buy, renovate, sell. Or buy, rent. Or buy, tear down, build new, sell/rent.
It's all part of a greater problem - when folks can become multi-millionaires by gaming the system instead of contributing to it and do so with impunity, we have what we have.
Housing prices are inflated by people who buy/sell for profit, coupled with retarded regulations that favor that over people trying to live their lives.
Capitalism yay in other words :)
It is not even remotely an easy fix.
I just hope we can come to a point where perhaps there is a way to allow airbnb to exist, while making it illegal to rent out property purely to rent it. This could allow it to be more like the bed and breakfast logging that it tends to feel like. I'm thinking restrictions to aid this are artificial limits to how many people/how many days per year you can rent out rooms in your home, which airbnb would be required to record.
I still have no idea how things like sanitation will be handled. Right now an airbnb host has very little obligation be sanitary like a hotel, except that it might make their reviews worse.