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Comment by Moctogo | Hacker News Reader

I'm done with them as well. ~10 years ago, it was a novel, fun way to travel and meet new people. Now it's become a business for many hosts and it shows. I have never appreciated a hotel room as much as I do now, having gone through the AirBNB gauntlet one time too many.

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Doing Airbnb over hotels also contributes greatly to city housing shortages and gentrification. Major US cities have large swaths of apartment units sitting empty, held by some management company to rent out as a pseudo-hotel room.

I won’t disagree with this take, but why should I care about any of this? The reason I don’t own a house is because prices are so high. But my solution is to just live like a local wherever I want and pay someone else’s mortgage. It’s a lifestyle that suits me and I have the cash flow to do it. Do I care that I am in a house next to some owner who doesn’t want me there? You own a house and I don’t, so screw you. I know this sounds a bit nasty but I am offering a genuine take that puts airbnb as sort of a weapon between the haves (house owners) and have nots (nomads).

You sort of answer your own question but the fact you haven't caught it yet doesn't bode well for anybody trying to explain it to you.

I think you focus on the neighbors alone, in which case I can understand the "f you" point of view.

From my POV one reason to care about is because AirBnB is making it harder for the "have nots" to become "haves": those that could have afforded their starter house suddenly can't because available properties are now AirBnBs, and those that could have rented near their work must now live further away, taking hours off their free time. Meanwhile, the "haves" reap more cash with less effort.

> I am offering a genuine take that puts airbnb as sort of a weapon between the haves (house owners) and have nots (nomads).

AirBnB is one of the weapons being used to keep you as a have not, though. You're basically helping to pay for the rent increases that are keeping you as a have not.

Not if all my free cash is in their stock

You're paying many times the mortgage payment to rent these homes in violation of zoning laws prohibiting them from operating as commercial properties and you're angry at the result?

I am not angry at anyone. If I can’t afford to own a home or don’t have the job stability for it then I am happy to pay for short term flexibility (vs renting long term) and live anywhere. It is more just a “dont give a fuck” attitude to home owners because I aint one

> You own a house and I don’t, so screw you.

Renting AirBnB is way more expansive than owning the home so you are the rich guy screwing with the neighbourhood not the other way around.

Maybe. The calculus works out from my pov. Maybe I just really value the flexibility

Gentrification and housing shortage is caused by bad policy. That's the root of the problem. Enforcement of existing zoning regulations, and also zoning regulations that dramatically under-provision the city for number of homes.

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