So here’s the problem with that 300, what does that mean? Is it entire homes? Private rooms? Total combined listings? Are these owner occupied or dedicated Airbnb listings? Why is this important? I’ll use my old listings as an example.

I created 4 separate listings for my house. 1 listing was to rent the entire home, and usually I’d go stay with my parents. The other 3 were private room rentals. Now the way I did it I don’t think it is common, but if there were other hosts doing it, that can potentially skew the numbers. Also in my house case, me stopping doesn’t necessarily result in increase of housing as I’m not renting out the rooms to long term tenants.

I also think owner occupied examples such as my own are a net gain for the city. There isn’t enough hotel rooms , and a ton of people are priced out regardless. Having cheaper options means more people can visit, equals more money. I collected rooms and meals tax and paid the city, the money I earned stays here versus the Hilton or other large chains. The people will also spend the money at local businesses.

I also for two years rented out a studio and put it on Airbnb. In that case I agree it shouldn’t be allowed. That is a text book reason that contributes in a negative way to the housing shortage.

So I believe Airbnb can be a good thing, but also agree it should be regulated in an intelligent way.

I will also add, I considered buying properties for Airbnb and I couldn’t make the numbers work in a way I thought was worth it. And this was back in 2015, when prices were high but not stupidly high. If anyone purchased around here for the sole reason to Airbnb, I bet they aren’t making as much of a profit as they thought they would.