Government

A Novel Idea for Regulating Airbnb

A "renters rights" exchange could spread costs and benefits more evenly across city neighborhoods.
Screenshot via Airbnb

Airbnb is a convenient, cheap, and fun alternative for travelers in search of lodging. It’s also a wicked problem for city regulators.

Airbnb drains housing supplies in cities where rents are already too high. It can disrupt neighborhood life, strain relationships between landlords and renters, and put tourists at risk. And contrary to the company’s own claims about spreading economic benefits to areas outside city centers, the neighborhoods reaping the most money from the service are often the ones already bustling.