Why Do Middle‐Class Positions Matter? The Alignment of Short‐Term Rental Suppliers to the Interests of Capital

Abstract

Underlying the idea of the middle classes there is a contradictory positionality, the relations of which ultimately enhance capital accumulation. By opening Marxist critique to Weberian approaches to class, we explain how the self-ascription of shortterm rental (STR) suppliers to the middle-class idea boosts exploitation and accumulation. Housing income, and recently that originating in STRs, has been used to maintain the symbolic and material status of the so-called middle classes in Spain, and specifically in Palma. Based on statistical data analysis and interviews with STR suppliers, managers and workers, we analyse the contradictory class positionality of STR suppliers in Palma (Majorca, Spain). First, we argue, that STR suppliers are part of the middle classes since they bear attributes of rent, labour and also capital, as they employ workers to produce a tourism commodity. Second, we contend that STR overnight stays should not only be considered as land rent payments, but also as the sale of a tourism commodity. Third, we claim that the contradictory positionality of the middle classes fuels self-exploitation, for STR suppliers misalign their interests with those of capital.

Unpacking the unequal privileges within transnational lifestyle relocation: Swedish lifestyle migrants' advantages and challenges in the Spanish housing market

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Tourism‐Led Rentier Capitalism: Extracting Rent and Value from Tourism Property Investment

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“…By unravelling the idiosyncrasies of TLRC, we contribute to ongoing debates on tourism property investment in a threefold way. First, we connect the somewhat fragmented debate on tourism property investment to broader debates on rentier capitalism, financialisation, and rent theory (Smet 2016;Ward and Aalbers 2016;Yrigoy et al 2022). In doing so, we analyse the rent-seeking agency of not only traditional tourism investors (i.e.…”

The Political Economy of Housing Investment in the Short‐Term Rental Market: Insights from Urban Portugal

“…The profile of these landlords has also been explored to some extent, dubbing them as homeowners belonging to a rentier middle class that needs extra income or that has turned to hosting as their permanent job (Semi and Tonetta 2021; Yrigoy et al. 2022). However, STRs’ rapid growth has not been unintentional; as Clancy (2020) puts it, it has not happened “in a vacuum”.…”

“…Critical urban scholars have also pointed to the ability of STR platforms to open rent gaps because of their higher profitability, encouraging landlords to replace tenants with tourists (Wachsmuth and Weisler 2018). The profile of these landlords has also been explored to some extent, dubbing them as homeowners belonging to a rentier middle class that needs extra income or that has turned to hosting as their permanent job (Semi and Tonetta 2021;Yrigoy et al 2022). However, STRs' rapid growth has not been unintentional; as Clancy (2020) puts it, it has not happened "in a vacuum".…”