Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by LegitShady 839 days ago
canada is building housing like crazy, but also allowing massive immigration numbers, and airbnb is icing on the cake. Its not just one problem. But airbnb is garbage and should be banned.
3 comments

Wouldn't a more sustainable solution other than banning Airbnb involve coming up with regulations that prevent empire-building?

The problem is not the hosts on Airbnb that are listing spare bedrooms or their vacation homes. It's corporations and ambitious individuals that are depleting the supply.

... So they need to build more housing.
There being one significant factor does not mean there are no other significant factors. The same goes for solutions.
are you guys really so invested in airbnb being present in Canadian cities? “Just build more housing”, “Just reduce immigration” all for airbnb’s benefit?
AirBNB provides a service to out of towners who want to arrive, use very little social services, spend a bunch of money, and then leave. How is this bad? I don’t understand.
Because a lot of these houses sit there vacant for big percentages of the year. For example (easy numbers) if your mortgage is 1k/month, you can afford to rent it out for 200/night a leave it vacant the other 25 days of the month.

You ever see a hotel on a Tuesday? No one is there. Now stretch that across all the airbnbs in a city.

I don't understand how someone can't see how that isn't bad and is crating artificial scarcity. Homes are not hotels.

Because this site is full of free market absolutists and they have no interest in considering the downstream effects.
Canada would need to increase housing faster than population regardless; Airbnb is just a red herring.
airbnb contributes to the problem but doesn't create it. It also makes for bad neighbourhoods.
Or reduce immigration.