Airbnb, empty houses: Who's responsible for managing the impact on our cities?

The scale of Airbnb impacts on rents, displacement of long-term renters and neighbourhood fragmentation has led cities s to ban, or strictly regulate, the extent and location of Airbnb

The Airbnb and empty house phenomena and their presumed links to housing and rental prices have attracted considerable media and political attention. The ABC points to the “dark side” of Airbnb and its effect on long-term rental prices. Empty houses are being linked to higher housing prices and to foreign investment, most often Chinese investment. The Australian headlines that “China buyers raise ghost town fears”.

The Commonwealth and state governments are seeking to regulate the phenomena. It is questionable whether they should and even whether they understand the data and trends.

The Airbnb question

Airbnb involves renting an entire home, a room or