Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law • Hacker News Board

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#91

Post by throwawayjava » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:09 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #73

scrumption wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's literally rent-seeking and leeches wealth from the economy, jacking up prices while contributing nothing?

Of course they do - they manage a place that visitors can stay in. Which is why people pay them. And you're clearly not a landlord if you think it involves no effort. Sure, if a society thinks they cause more harm than good, by all means, ban them, but that's a different argument.

>>> a person would rent out 10 apartments at $2k/mo and rent them on at $300 a night.

> And you're clearly not a landlord if you think it involves no effort.

The person described in the original post isn't a landlord.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#92

Post by dazc » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:10 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #75

laurieg wrote: post #32

Good riddance. I live in rented accommodation in Japan. A couple of years ago an Airbnb was set up next door and it was a nightmare. People coming and going at all hours, large groups of drunk holiday-makers having loud parties into the night, drinking and smoking on the balcony. After multiple calls to the owner of the apartment and the police the situation was finally resolved. I definitely think Airbnb should have…

It's really sad that AirBnB is used by most people as a cheap resort, and expect to have a resort-like experience at the expense of the local neighborhood who has no desire to live next to one. Can we just have home-share for people that understand how to be good neighbors, pretty please?

'Can we just have home-share for people that understand how to be good neighbors...'

Nice idea but, speaking from experience, it can work the other way around. I've stayed in a few AirBnB's where the neighbours have been arseholes.

Hosts also, on at least one occasion.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#93

Post by kinsomo » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:12 PM UTC

DINKDINK wrote: post #68

“The government knows how to segregate us properly” And “Everything will be cheaper by limiting people the ability to trade”

> “The government knows how to segregate us properly”

The government is great place to balance competing interests, especially if it's more democratic.

> And “Everything will be cheaper by limiting people the ability to trade”

That's missing the point. The goal with regulations like these isn't to make things "cheaper," but to control negative externalities. There's more to life than the price of goods.

Unfortunately, prices are easy to quantify and that fact irresistibly draws certain kinds of people blind themselves to all non-quantitative observations and engage in the McNamara fallacy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McNamara_fallacy

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#94

Post by fredley » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:14 PM UTC

DINKDINK wrote: post #70

fredley wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the approach taken in London: Anyone can AirBnB their property, but only for 90 days a year, unless you have special permission. This prevents people buying up/renting flats just to let them out on AirBnB and putting pressure on the already cripplingly bad housing situation.

>putting pressure on the already cripplingly bad housing situation. No amount of demand suppression will ever fix a supply issue. “We’re better off not building up housing infrastructure subsidized by short term leases and just trying to suppress any demand that changes the market clearing price”

Taking paracetamol won't cure my flu, it just alleviates the symptoms. Doesn't mean I'm not going to take it.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#95

Post by Xylakant » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:16 PM UTC

iandanforth wrote: post #86

tnolet wrote: post #64

In Amsterdam they already set the limit of allowed rental days per year to 30. Just last month the new city council announced they will completely forbid AirBnB in certain neighbourhoods. As someone who studied and worked most of his life in Amsterdam I welcome these measures a lot.

Nimbyism at its best.

We had an illegal AirBNB in our building in Berlin. Some guests were ill-behaved and partied all night. The person renting the flat was unavailable. You had no recourse short of calling the police. I’d be very much fine with a hotel or an old-fashioned BnB in the building where staff or a responsible person is available to take care of and discipline misbehaving guests. You can call that NIMBYism, but yeah, no unregulated hotel in my backyard.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#96

Post by mrschwabe » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:16 PM UTC

poisonarena wrote: post #3

I understand all the ramifications in certain cities where the housing prices are getting effected by airbnb, but I think in this case it is just the Hotels strong arming because they were losing business and the Olympics are coming. I am a budget traveler and low income remote worker and I really am glad I got to slide in before airbnb got shafted. It's a shame that I now have to choose between hostels and overprice…

Same here! It is such a surreal experience to just nestle into the heart of a Japanese neighborhood for the first time (and actually still is, going on well over a year now).

If it wasn't for AirBnB's abundant selection of places and prices it would have been near-impossible to get those kind of experiences (and new friends and countless other random things).

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#97

Post by icebraining » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:16 PM UTC

throwawayjava wrote: post #91

icebraining wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they do - they manage a place that visitors can stay in. Which is why people pay them. And you're clearly not a landlord if you think it involves no effort. Sure, if a society thinks they cause more harm than good, by all means, ban them, but that's a different argument.

>>> a person would rent out 10 apartments at $2k/mo and rent them on at $300 a night. > And you're clearly not a landlord if you think it involves no effort. The person described in the original post isn't a landlord.

Tomato, tomato. They still have to manage renters, take care of regular maintenance (cleaning), etc. If anything they have more work than the actual landlord.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#98

Post by mike-cardwell » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:19 PM UTC

I used several Airbnbs in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima last year. The first one we arrived in, in Tokyo had signs in the lift saying that Airbnb was not allowed to operate in the building, which was a bit of a stressful start. Nothing came from it though. The places in Kyoto and Hiroshima were fine, but it's made me weary of using Airbnb again.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#99

Post by Xylakant » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:21 PM UTC

jorvi wrote: post #61

krapp wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>In a lot of countries (80%+) taxi drivers are rude, try to price gouge, try to scam you or try to take longer routes. Made up percentages don't count as credible data, unless you can cite the objective and peer-reviewed analysis that demonstrates that over 80% of taxi drivers are "rude, try to price gouge, try to scam you or try to take longer routes," you're just trying to disguise your opinion as fact. Which is fi…

> Made up percentages don't count as credible data, unless you can cite the objective and peer-reviewed analysis that demonstrates that over 80% of taxi drivers are "rude, try to price gouge, try to scam you or try to take longer routes," you're just trying to disguise your opinion as fact. There is little to no such data, but we can extrapolate from two things: 1. Uber, Lyft and co. would never have grown globally a…

> 1. Uber, Lyft and co. would never have grown globally at such an astronomical rate (and eaten the taxi branch its lunch)

That’s a dangerous assertion when Uber spent a sizable chunk of its investment money on promotions to make rides available at less than cost. Selling services below cost and competitors price is a way to gain market share that does not prove that your business model is in any way superior.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#100

Post by bunderbunder » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:22 PM UTC

pc86 wrote: post #72

pjc50 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> increase property utilization This implies that rent should rise to meet nightly AirBnb rates, which has all sorts of implications ..

Yes, the most obvious of which is "build more [high-density] housing."

I'll take the high density housing as long as, within that housing, we can segregate the vacationers, who often enjoy staying up late drinking and talking loudly, from the folks who have to get up and go to work or school the next morning.

Otherwise, an increase in density might reduce airbnb's impact on rents, but at the cost of making airbnb even more annoying.