Since 2015, a legal cap of 90 nights a year for short-term rentals in London has been in place, but it has proved almost impossible to enforce. In London – where more than 77,000 homes are listed on Airbnb, a fourfold increase since 2015 – mayor Sadiq Khan last month called for a registration scheme for people renting properties on a short-term basis.
Many local authorities are implementing or exploring regulation to mitigate the negative impact of short-term rentals. But they are matched by positive experiences from satisfied travellers who have found affordable alternatives to hotel rooms. Social media and websites such as abound with stories from hosts, guests and neighbours of excessive noise, trashed homes, wild parties, last-minute cancellations and scams. Some residents in areas with a big Airbnb presence claim the business is hollowing out communities by forcing up rents and limiting availability for people seeking long-term lets, and importing large numbers of tourists who display scant interest in courtesy to their temporary neighbours. In the coming months, Airbnb is expected to become a listed company, with an initial public offering netting enormous wealth for Gebbia, Chesky and co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk.īut Airbnb’s extraordinary success has not been welcomed unreservedly. Last year, Forbes estimated the business to be worth $31bn (£23bn). Some residents in areas with a big Airbnb presence claim the business is hollowing out communities
London, Paris and New York have the biggest number of listings, but Airbnb accommodation is available in Mandalay, Ulaanbaatar and Brazzaville. On average, two million people rest their heads in an Airbnb property each night – half a billion since 2008. Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky dreamed up the idea of a website that would allow people to rent out a spare room for the odd night or two after they charged three guests $80 each to sleep on airbeds in their San Francisco apartment when every hotel room in the city was taken.Įleven years on, Airbnb’s site lists more than six million rooms, flats and houses in more than 81,000 cities across the globe. Hughes is exactly the kind of host the founders of Airbnb had in mind when they launched the business in 2008. It works for everyone, and I don’t want to be greedy.” It brings in some extra cash for holidays or things for the children, and it’s a competitive price for my visitors. “It’s still early days but it has been great. “I make it clear on the listing that it’s a family home, so guests know what to expect,” she said.
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