New Airbnb rules ban hosts from making guests wash dishes, do laundry & other checkout chores

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-airbnb-rules-ban-hosts-from-making-guests-wash-dishes-do-laundry-other-checkout-chores-3420832/

[u/16semesters]

The problem is when Airbnb stopped making space usage more efficient and started making it less efficient.

When it started, renting a spare bedroom, or someone's lake house on a weekend they aren't using it, is a great idea. This takes space that would otherwise be vacant and puts it to good use.

The second someone however buys a property just to Airbnb it, the entire thing is flipped. Now we have what should be someones home, is instead a bizarre barely legal pseudo-hotel with limited protections for the consumer.

[u/nebula_masterpiece → u/16semesters]

Exactly this - the initial pitch was to capture unused spare bedrooms, not to build and buy homes just to use as hotel replacements

[u/TopVolume6860 → u/nebula_masterpiece]

The initial pitch was just a lie to get millennials to try it out. The goal was always to lose money and undercut hotels until hotels went out of business then jack prices way up and cut costs (enshittify the service) with their new duopoly status like uber/lyft did to cabs only they found out hotels are way more resilient than cab companies were and it backfired on them

[u/Sudden-Purchase-8371 → u/TopVolume6860]

The other difference is that the two industries, hotel and taxi, taxi is by far the worst of the two. Taxi cabs had way more regulatory capture that led to terrible service. I hate Uber/Lyft for their labor practices and fuck the gig economy but the Taxi companies had it fucking coming in spades.

[u/Schonke → u/16semesters]

The second someone however buys a property just to Airbnb it, the entire thing is flipped. Now we have what should be someones home, is instead a bizarre barely legal pseudo-hotel with limited protections for the consumer.

If we want to have owning a house as a viable dream for the middle class, there need to be some serious rethinking of property taxes.

For example: First residential property you own is barely taxed at all, mainly just the capital gains tax once it's sold. That way no one should be forced to sell cause their house increased greatly in value but their retirement income is meager.

Second residential property (like you buy a small summer cabin) gets taxed at a leisure house rate which, in addition to capital gains tax when sold, also includes a yearly tax to the local governmental bodies for the increased load during high season and diminished tax base during off-season. This might mean some have to eventually sell cause they can't afford it any more, but since it's just the second property no one should be forced to move or become homeless.

Once you get a third residential property, then all your residential properties get taxed as if you're a landlord and they're your way of making income. This way you can't play any creative tax games by deciding which property is main, second and third and so on. Then you have to choose between keeping that tax rate or fold some of the properties into the ownership of a corporation you start.

And all corporate ownership of residential properties should be taxed as if they're owning to rent and profit off it.

[u/masterlich → u/16semesters]

I used to Airbnb a room in my house. It was BARGAIN BASEMENT cheap. Like, I think I put it up for $25 a night.

I stopped bothering when I would get entitled guests who were offended at the smallest things. Brother, you're paying $25 a night. If you wanted the Taj Mahal, you should have paid more.

I imagine that's the same thing that happened to all the other small time hosts. It wasn't worth the hassle for the tiny amount of money you get. So now we're all we're left with are the professionals renting out for more than hotels.

[u/Somanylyingliars → u/masterlich]

You might consider VRBO which has a more down to earth crowd.

[u/Somanylyingliars → u/16semesters]

AirBNB was start of market disruptors. Come in w cutesy idea, skirt local laws, decimate competition. A model repeated over and over. A model w little regulation leading to multiple deaths all over US. We need regulations over all these disruptors and have them pay into UBI plus more