Home or hotel? A contemporary challenge in the use of housing stock

Abstract

Since the Global Financial Crash, there have been significant changes to the private rented sectors across the UK. The PRS has become increasingly important to providing housing to millions of homes and has gained increasing political and regulatory focus. At the same time, there has been a substantial increase in the number of short-term holiday lets enabled by online platforms such as Airbnb. There are concerns that this housing stock is being lost from residential housing and exacerbates issues of housing equality. This paper undertakes a case study of Airbnb growth in London to examine changes in listings and provides insight into Airbnb hosts. The extant literature and analysis in this paper support the argument of the loss of privately rented properties, with housing stock being reallocated as tourist accommodation, potentially displacing local communities. Finally, the paper analyses the struggles this poses for policymakers, communities and housing providers.

A systematic review of ethical issues in hospitality and tourism innovation

“…Internet platforms that address market failures have given rise to discussions around the fairness of their practices (Anderson, 2011; Edelman, 2014; Nicolau and Sharma, 2019; Oskam and Zandberg, 2016; Sharma and Nicolau, 2019; Tekin Bilbil, 2019). The appearance of “home-sharing” platforms has added multiple issues to the ethical debate, such as fair competition, rent inflation for residents and the truthfulness of marketing claims (Arias Sans and Quaglieri, 2016; Buhalis et al , 2020; Grisdale, 2019; Oskam, 2020a; Simcock, 2021), or their advocated self-regulation with its implications for legal protection for workers, consumers and other stakeholders, leading to excesses such as racial discrimination (Edelman and Luca, 2014; Gilheany et al , 2015; Kakar et al , 2017).…”

Exploring the Survival Mechanisms of Short-Term Rentals in Virginia: A Comparative Analysis of Rural versus Non-Rural Markets

“…As more properties are converted into STRs, locals often find it increasingly challenging to find affordable rental options. Concerns over the widening rental gap and potential displacement of long-term residents have been highlighted in works by Simcock, Amore et al, and Lee [27][28][29]. The narrative of gentrification and "touristification" becomes especially poignant when platforms like Airbnb extend their reach beyond typical tourist areas and into the heart of traditional residential neighborhoods.…”