Don't blame the players, blame the game. If there are no consequences to dragging out the process like this and wasting time, why wouldn't they do it?
What they're doing is knowingly stealing out of the pocket of the taxpayer, and it is deserving of the same attitude you'd have towards a street gang running a protection racket. Just because it's profitable for them to do, doesn't mean it's deserving of respect.
The difference is that their actions here seem within the law? The law allowed them to drag out the process for so long. I wouldn't blame them for doing so.
My argument is that the legislation/regulatory environment is to blame. There should be laws/regulation on the books to discourage/punish/recoup costs of behavior we consider unacceptable.
There absolutely should be reforms to the system to make this impossible, yes. In the meantime, we can discourage this by making them wear it. The decisions Airbnb made as an organization, have shown us all something about the company and the people in charge of it.
If we can't sanction them legally, we at least can sanction their reputation.