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Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

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Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#661

Post by jkukul »

noduerme wrote: post #307

Sooo.. w/o getting into my history too deeply, my ex and I left the US in 2006 and worked freelance/remote. Wired did an article about us in 2008 living in a solar van when that was, like, unheard of. It seems like every few years a new batch of people want to try this approach, and it's always popular with the press to write about it. Sometimes it works out. I think it's a great way to live, and it teaches you a lot…

> and I'm pissed as fuck that I'm living next to what's turned into a goddamn motel.

Is your anger directed at Airbnb or at the tourists? Both parties just do what's in their best interest. It's a typical economical transaction which makes both sides better-off.

The problem is that the Airbnb situation creates externalities. In your case it's annoying neighbours and, in the broader sense, it's e.g. the gentrification.

Local governments are the ones to blame here and the ones who should be responsible to manage the externalities. There must be some clever policies to mitigate the problems.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#662

Post by manuelabeledo »

peoplefromibiza wrote: post #462
ErneX wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this isn’t something you can just blame on tech workers. Big cities go through this constantly not only from tech expats but also from better paid local workers.

> Big cities go through this constantly No, they don't. Ask someone from Rome, Barcelona, Madrid even Warsaw, if they are happy of this airbnb-ization of their cities. [1] Anyway, citi es are for citi zens, not for freeloaders. [2] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/airbnb... [2] The word city and the related civilization come from the Latin root civitas, originally meaning 'citizenship' or 'co…

I'm curious to know if short term rentals are an actual problem, compared to the much bigger, largely proven, and much less publicised, issue of hedge and investment funds buying out entire blocks of buildings.

I myself lived in Madrid for 5-6 years, and what seemed to drive the cost of living up weren't the people owning one or two rental apartments, but corporations and banks buying entire buildings up. At least in Spain, there has been a connection between banks not making large chunks of their real estate stock available, and investment funds buying on the scarcity.

> Anyway, cities are for citizens, not for freeloaders.

This feels like a bit narrow sighted.

While these workers you are talking about don't pay income taxes in these cities, they do pay other taxes (utilities, consumer products, etc.), and other than public infrastructure, they usually do not have free access to most services without paying (education, most healthcare).

So who's "freeloading" here? I would admit that they pay less taxes, but that doesn't mean that they pay zero taxes.

And another question arises. I myself am a Spaniard residing in the US. Would I be considered a "freeloader" if I go back to Spain and work for my employer in the US for a month or two? Do nationals get that consideration?

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#663

Post by noduerme »

post_break wrote: post #474
noduerme wrote: post #307

Sooo.. w/o getting into my history too deeply, my ex and I left the US in 2006 and worked freelance/remote. Wired did an article about us in 2008 living in a solar van when that was, like, unheard of. It seems like every few years a new batch of people want to try this approach, and it's always popular with the press to write about it. Sometimes it works out. I think it's a great way to live, and it teaches you a lot…

If you're a renter this is squatter bait. You better know the squatter rules before ever considering doing rentals off the books like that.

To clarify, the landlords always gave me a receipt for payment, and in most cases had me sign a rental agreement. There are some countries that come to mind where squatters' rights are particularly strong (Spain, for instance).

In general, most of these places were already vacation rentals before Airbnb came along, and the landlords were well prepared to rent them independently of the platform.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#664

Post by jkukul »

pastacacioepepe wrote: post #360
entropy_ wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can understand it: 1 - I'm proud of having cheated Airbnb out of their commission when helping me find housing so I could live like a hipster 2 - I hate living next to Airbnb hipsters Needless to say: not a lot of coherent thought in that comment...

I mean, AirBnb helped destroy housing for citizens where I live. It's now almost impossible for a local to find decent housing in my city. I know this is also fault of the administration and the landlords themselves, but I won't certainly ever feel any pity for this multinational. AirBnb is basically another mean of accruing wealth in the hands of landowners, while people who don't own anything are now in an even har…

> AirBnb is basically another mean of accruing wealth in the hands of landowners, while people who don't own anything are now in an even harder situation, so I'm happy someone is stealing something from AirBnb, they negatively "disrupted" the lives of milions in order to create their market.

Wait, in whose pockets did tourists's money end up before Airbnb? In the pockets of non-landowners? No, in the pockets of hoteliers, so still landowners.

Airbnb took a chunk of hoteliers' market (so good, right?) but also created a new market. A new market in which people who previously couldn't rent (because not enough capital to be a hotelier) can now do it and thus new market for tourists who previously couldn't travel (because less competition and possibilities).

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#665

Post by notch656a »

la6472 wrote: post #491
frankfrankfrank wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I propose people start reconsidering this imposed situation that exists between the people who do the work and the government, i.e. the parasitic ruling class. And to clarify, I say that as someone who is not at all “leftist” oriented, even though it may seem so at first glance of reading that to some. This situation we currently essentially globally have, at least in the west, is quite an abusive system that is real…

Using tax to build roads , fund schools , maintain community parks , allocating to providing care for the poor and defense funding is not “slavery” and there is no “ruling class”. You can be a burecrat or become a politician if you want. The system may not be perfect but certainly better that half assed solutions that makes no sense.

>You can be a burecrat or become a politician if you want.

You can become those things if you manage to navigate a social and possibly economic process and succeed in entering those positions. By using your own definition, a slave wasn't a slave because people like William Ellison [0] who were once slaves went on to become a slaveholder. A slave can become a slaveholder -- that doesn't cancel out them taking part in a system of slavery.

>there is no “ruling class”.

A couple weeks ago when I entered the US I was forcibly shackled and cuffed without being even 'arrested' nor formally charged with a crime and held for 16 hours while taken to hospitals against my will on the most flimsiest accusation of being suspected as a "drug mule." Do you really think a common armed citizen could have held me like that against my will without repercussion? There is most definitely a 'ruling class' who can get away with things others can't. The border patrol in fact is 'allowed' to violate the constitution within 100 miles of the 'border' (which debatably is either actual border or even just international airports) and stop people without probable cause of having committed a crime.

Perhaps 'debt bondage' is a better word to describe what the government imposes on its citizens (especially noted in the high percentage of black men thrown in debtor's jail for merely owing money a la child support enforcement). Debt bondage is considered a form of slavery by some, although distinct and perhaps less egregious from chattel slavery.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ellison

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#666

Post by noduerme »

FunnyLookinHat wrote: post #465
noduerme wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I did. The whole point is that I wasn't just a one-or-two-day ghost. I lived in these places for as I said 3-6 months (in one case almost a year). So I knew my neighbors, and treated them as I would neighbors in any other apartment I rented as a regular tenant. [edit] I should just add that I'm as embarrassed to make noise or screw with anyone's living space as a homeowner as I was as a tenant. I could make $400…

Can you tell me more about what you mean by "airbnb jerks have subjected me to" ? Honestly, my family and I use airbnb pretty frequently, and I would like to think that we're considerate guests... but, maybe there's something we're missing? What makes the guests next-door to you bad ones (or great ones) ?

I was referring more to the owners than to the guests. Most of the guests are polite and quiet, although it's impossible for them not to wake me up when they're leaving with their luggage, which is 3-4 times per week. This simply wouldn't happen with longer-term tenants. But it's also due to the way the neighboring property owner set up their Airbnb. Essentially, they spent 2 years building a tall, narrow cottage directly up to the property line, using every available inch of their yard, which blocked off my terrace from the sun. This is allowed here under loosened building restrictions because of the acute housing shortage, but the intent of the scheme was to provide more housing for local working families, not additional airbnb income for absentee landlords. So after they put me through a couple years of construction and loss of the sun, they rented their main house to long-term tenants, posted the cottage up through a management company for $300/night and f*cked off to Europe. And now I wake up to people leaving, and again to someone knocking and saying "housekeeping" every weekend.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#667

Post by dinvlad »

wccrawford wrote: post #425
dinvlad wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on the company, I think. Some companies are geographically remote, so that's not quite possible. For others yes, things like WeWork exist although might be a little pricey (but probably worth it!). Or just a warehouse-type location equipped with temporary walls that could be rented too :-)

Every picture I've ever seen of a place like WeWork has shown an open floor plan. They might have offices, but they're going to be extra expensive. And since there's no such thing as "your desk" there, you will never feel at ease. Every day might bring someone that's incredibly annoying, and collaborating with your coworkers would mean either annoying others or booking a conference room. In the end, it's easier to co…

On their front-page, they advertise "Private, move-in ready offices" for "1-20+" people as one of the options, which is why I mentioned them. Of course, that could just mean "open-office space private to a particular company", and that's what makes it a bit confusing. But yes, other options are clearly just open-office space.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#668

Post by dinvlad »

ajkjk wrote: post #502
dinvlad wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For sure - although it's always interesting to hear what people like or not about it, and how they work around issues like distractions/attention scatter and the pure "don't watch over my shoulder when I need to check HN". Maybe it all depends on personal sensitivity to such things and the ability to focus/zone in to the music, but that still feels like a coping mechanism rather than something that naturally comes to…

I think it depends a lot on your emotional approach to work. For me, I'm a decently good engineer, but at my heart I'm quite extroverted and the thing I like most about working is being around smart people and making friends and stuff. The engineering itself is not the core of my existence, it's getting to live the role of the engineer. I guess I also don't mind putting headphones on and focusing, and I really like g…

That's a good way to put it, thanks for sharing! Agreed that it may not be the same for extroverts vs introverts. I think it doesn't have to be "either-or" - both open-office and private-office plans need to co-exist, the trouble starts when everyone is bound to the same requirements.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#669

Post by notch656a »

techdmn wrote: post #656
throwawayboise wrote: post #606

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The simple answer is to do away with the notion that earning income should be taxable. Tax on the consumption side, it's easier to enforce and harder to avoid.

The problem with taxing consumption is that it's pretty regressive. Not to say that there aren't solutions, but the existing sales tax, gas tax, etc aren't it.

Taxing consumption instead of investments and savings seems like it would guide society more towards saving and investment instead of short-term consumption, though, no? Personally I'd rather not have taxes at all, but if you forced me to pick on of the three I'd pick consumption every time.

Re: Airbnb’s design to live and work anywhere

#670

Post by Retric »

kieloo wrote: post #621
rat9988 wrote: post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It needs to matchs.Otherwise you'd need a work visa.

But isn’t it illegal to work on a tourist visa anyway?

Most countries have many exceptions. A UK “tourist visa” is called a “Standard Visitor visa.”

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/...

Remote working

Visitors are permitted to undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely whilst they are in the UK, such as responding to emails or answering phone calls. However, you should check that the applicant’s main purpose of coming to the UK is to undertake a permitted activity, rather than specifically to work remotely from the UK. Where the applicant indicates that they intend to spend a large proportion of their time in the UK and will be doing some remote working, you should ensure that they are genuinely employed overseas and are not seeking to work in the UK.

PS: Actual rules are here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules but the general intent seems to be if your there to do something very temporary like compete in a sports tournament or do something for someone outside the UK that requires you to briefly visit the UK it’s fine.

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