[crystaln]

By increasing the value of extra rooms and allowing people to monetize their vacancies, AirBNB necessarily increases the demand for rooms and the ability of people to pay more rent. This must push up rent. It is impossible for it not to.

Laws restricting short term rentals may partially be to protect the hotel industry, but they are also to encourage the environment and pricing necessary for longer term residency.

There are widespread stories, including some friends of mine, of people running large networks of properties leased expressly for subleasing on AirBNB. This reduces the supply of housing units substantially, and increases their prices. AirBNB needs to actively limit such usage in order to be defensible. Right now AirBNB rewards users who are obviously abusing the system and violating the law.

If your studies were conclusive, I'd expect you to release actual data instead of whitewashed PR like this.