Monthly short-term rental news roundup – March 2019
This month in short-term rental news – Regulation road-bumps and scary stats.
Here’s the scoop:
- Scary Stat of the Month – Less than half of Airbnbs that allow smoking have smoke detectors, and only ⅔ of those that ban smoking have smoke detectors. And some of units with smoke detectors will have plastic bags covering them (we have seen this more than once…). There have already been close calls from short-term rental guests causing fires, so it’s only a matter of time before disaster strikes. More needs to be done to allow councils to enforce compliance at scale. (we’re working on it!)
- Short-term rentals are linked to higher rents across Australia. Obvious if you think about it, but the STR platforms lobby hard to deny it. Meanwhile, another study shows those pesky regulations really do slow down STR growth, which is why the platforms work so hard (and spend so much money) to water them down. Even cities with good rules, like Las Vegas, have trouble enforcing them (that’s where we come in).
STR Site of the Month
The hardest part of hosting guests in your own place is finding somewhere to live when you get a booking. Staying at another Airbnb sucks up your profits, but your friends are getting sick of you crashing on their couch. “Can I Stay with You While I Rent My Place on Airbnb?” lets hosts swap free stays with each other. Perfect for tenants subletting on the sly.
