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Comment by seisvelas | Hacker News Reader

Good. Rentals charge 2 months rent and a deposit. The only reason I can afford housing is because of airbnb. It's the only place I can find housing that doesn't do that BS.

That's here in Merida, at least. I wish the rental market would crumble. It's absurdly difficult for a normal person to rent a decent dwelling. The hostel I rent at is full of people in a similar situation. The more conventional rentals get replaced with airbnb's that allow monthly stays, the better.

The supposed legal protections of conventional renting don't exist, and airbnb is actually a better enforcer of agreements than my government.

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> Good. Rentals charge 2 months rent and a deposit. The only reason I can afford housing is because of airbnb. It's the only place I can find housing that doesn't do that BS.

Security deposits and upfront rent address the problem of deadbeat tenants who may destroy the property or simply not pay the rent. It’s skin in the game to show you’re responsible.

Upfront rent is totally fine, Airbnb itself charges upfront. But 3 upfront rents? Ive never gotten a deposit or the extra rent back at the end. Airbnb isnt a real solution but i dont think landlords ever were either

As a counterexample, I've lived in ten different rentals over the past 18 years, and I have always gotten my deposit (minus reasonable cleaning fees, and in rare instances the cost of damage that was legitimately my fault) and any extra rent back at the end. Sure, there are shitty landlords out there who screw over their tenants, but it's not universal.

I have always been under the impression that they can only take money out of your deposit for _unreasonable_ fees. There is an expectation that wear and tear occurs from living in one spot.

Interesting ive been in this situation multiple times with 2 rents as deposit and i always got it back. I mean there is usually written agreement and if you take pictures of the initial state of the place it is fine.

The owner may take certain costs out of your deposit, and what they can and can't bill you for depends on the jurisdiction, but it is certainly illegal to keep your deposit without giving you an invoice for the costs. If this is what happened in your case, you could take your landlord to small-claims court to get it back. As general advice, anyone who is leaving a rental property would be well advised to take pictures of the whole place on the day they vacate, in case they have to debunk damage claims by the landlord.

> Rentals charge 2 months rent and a deposit. The only reason I can afford housing is because of airbnb

There are some interesting models around the world for alleviating this specific burden that don't involve corporations being everyone's landlord.

My favorite is one I learned about relatively recently: rental deposit guarantees[1] in Switzerland. The renter pays a small premium to e.g. Swiss Post, which will issue a certificate guaranteeing the amount of the deposit. The landlord accepts that certificate in lieu of cash.

1. https://www.post.ch/en/locations/rental-deposit-guarantee

I'm sympathetic to your plight. That's a shitty situation to be in. But AirBnB is not the answer - short term rentals cost more, long term, than a traditional rental unit. You're paying a premium to not be locked into a contract.

I'm sorry to hear that your government is not protecting tenants rights. In other parts of the world, you do have more rights as a long term tenant than as an AirBnB user. And AirBnB's enforcement of their own policies is a joke, considering all the scams and fraud people get away with on the platform.

In other words, if AirBnB is somehow preferable to renting... you've got bigger problems to worry about.

I appreciate your balanced take on this - but i disagree. Airbnbs discounts for long stays make it pretty competitive here. I pay 3500 pesos a month for a room. That includes power, internet, Netflix, toilet paper, all kinds of other amenities.

It's not ideal, but the barrier to entry is way lower for a premium that is not really high imo.

Out of curiosity, where are you from?

I would assume this discussion is centered on coastal American cities, where Airbnbs routinely cost well over your monthly cost per night, plus cleaning fees etc. I don’t know where you are or what average rental price is in your area, but you won’t find any American units anywhere near that price.

My rental (traditional lease) cost is ~10x yours and I am considered to have a screaming good deal.

I'm in Yucatan, Mexico.

>I would assume this discussion is centered on coastal American cities

Did you click the link of this submission? It's about Dublin, Ireland. That said you're right I have never checked out airbnb prices in the coastal US and I'd assume they are much more expensive there

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