Skift Take
Making Airbnb lawful might actually give regular citizens a chance at using it to make an extra buck, but to say that's the gross majority of its hosts in London, or any city, is a tale of two very different cities.
Airbnb is starting to stack its wins.
The Queen of England signed legislation earlier this week that allows London residents to share their homes for up to 90 days a year without permissions or registration. The new rules overturned legislations drawn up in the 1970s.
“Previously, London homeowners looking to make a bit of extra money and rent out their homes faced nothing but bureaucracy and red tape,” said UK Minister of Housing Brandon Lewis in a statement.
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to update the rules for the digital age of the 21st century.”
The news comes one week after the UK government announced rules making it easier for tenants to gain permission from landlords to share their home and an update to official tenant agreements that allows home sharing by default. The government also said it would encourage employees to use the sharing economy to book lodging when on business.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky used the occasion to repeat the marketing message that Airbnb-friendly laws are a victory for working people now being able to make ends meet.
“Under these new rules, more Londoners will be able to make ends meet by opening up their homes to visitors from around the world,” he said.
However, a 2014 Guardian investigation into Airbnb’s activity in London found professionals renting out empty properties accounted for a large number of listings on the site. Of the more than 13,000 Airbnb listings for London at the time, more than 6,600 of them leased out an entire home or flat rather than a spare room.
Similar deep dives into Airbnb data in New York and San Fransisco found a similar level of professionalization among Airbnb hosts.
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