Airbnb and other short-term rentals worsen housing shortage, critics say

[Matt R.]

Interesting Airbnb LA Times article today; 

Get this...dudes are finding apartments to rent from Landlords just to do Airbnb and turn it into a regular business for themselves. What category of REI is that?

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-8...

"I almost find it painful to rent things these days," he said. "There's so much demand and so many people who are qualified and nice people who I have to turn away."

For that apartment in Los Feliz, LaFlamme said, he found a tenant in less than 24 hours.

Now peeps are saying it is driving up rents and creating more regular rentals shortages. 

Thoughts?

[Richard C.]

It makes perfect sense that Airbnb would drive up the price of rentals in highly desirable locales.  I really think that is almost indisputable; it is simple economics.

Whether that is a bad thing, on net, is an entirely different discussion.