Professional hosting

Housing shortages are one of the most social pressing issues currently faced by people and governments, and various studies find evidence for short-term rentals crowding out locals in search of housing. One of the issues cited is the professionalization of hosts – meaning professional third-parties renting out homes instead of local residents. A large alternative accommodation company rebukes this arguing a shortage of residential construction as the main culprit and hotels are the main beneficiary of strict regulation, not people looking for housing. Many policymakers have tried to change the distribution of the available housing stock, for instance, by adopting more stringent regulations for short-term rentals (such as apartments on Airbnb and Booking) to make more housing units available for long-term residents. A city that has struggled with overtourism for years, the mayor of Barcelona even announced plans to ban short-term rentals entirely by 2028.

Source: Inside Airbnb, November 2024.