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Comment by dangoldin | Hacker News Reader

What stuck out is how much emphasis there is on the difficulty of building out support for local policies at a product/service level and pushing the onus onto the host.

On the flip side you have Uber which is succeeding by working through the local policies. The apps themselves have functionality that's location specific (think Eats in NYC but not in NJ).

I do think Airbnb is using the local policies as an excuse and can do more to make themselves more acceptable to cities.

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>I do think Airbnb is using the local policies as an excuse and can do more to make themselves more acceptable to cities.

What about the fact the I just would never feel comfortable with strangers walking in and out of my condo building. And I'd imagine this would be case for communities with childeren, people wouldn't want random people from the internet walking around their houses. Thats why there are specific laws and regulations around where hotels can operate.

Would the proposition to the cities that could offer their citizens more more money ( is this proven?) by sacrificing quality of life?

Perhaps there is an argument that you're entitled to a relatively stable set of neighbors, so that you can get to know them and learn which ones to avoid.

But you certainly don't get to choose your neighbors. The US went down that path in the 50s: massive and hugely oppressive racial segregation whose echoes are still being felt.

You are not entitled to decide who does and doesn't walk near your property, only on your property.

I don't feel comfortable sharing a country with Trump supporters, but that doesn't mean I get to prevent them from finding housing.

There is an argument that you're allowed to have a stable set of neighbors. We made it and codified it into law which says that you can't do short term rentals within long term rental units. Even if your lease says it's ok, it's still against the law. That's why all those whole unit apartment rentals you see in NYC are illegal unless the person offering it has a bed and breakfast license for the space. AirBnB won't tell you that your rental is illegal even though they know it is. The illegal whole apartment rentals is how they get most of their revenue in NYC.

> The US went down that path in the 50s: massive and hugely oppressive racial segregation whose echoes are still being felt.

Zoning is still essentially segregation. (Eg keeping the multi-family homes for `poor' people away from the single family houses.)

Isn't that how NYC co-ops work?

The tenants do not get the right to pick their neighbors simply by living in a building, but by being joint members of a corporation which owns the building.

If you live in a plain old apartment building, your landlord can rent neighboring units to whomever he wants.

> your landlord can rent neighboring units to whomever he wants

... As long as he complies with existing federal, state and local laws, as well as existing HOA regulations, you as a neighbor don't have any property rights preventing a rental.

Apartments seems to be a great way for AirBnB and hosts to make buckets of money but then they are creating de facto hotels.

No only "can do" but "must do". Widespread legislation will come. AirBnB needs to invest heavily in building goodwill with municipalities, else they will not be at the table when the legislation is being written. They spent a ton of cash playing defense against Prop F in SF, but they won't be able to afford to put up the same fight in every city.

> They spent a ton of cash playing defense against Prop F in SF, but they won't be able to afford to put up the same fight in every city.

Good. Local legislation should be determined by local voters, not AirBnB.

I think I wasn't clear on the point. They need to communicate their story and the value of the service in every market, as well as start addressing the concerns proactively. There seems to be much more organization from the anit-AirBnB side than the pro-AirBnB side, so they should be investing much more in organization and lobbying as well. Local legislation is always determined by local voters, which is why they need to be seriously investing in a grass roots infrastructure.

"Local legislation is always determined by local voters, which is why they need to be seriously investing in a grass roots infrastructure."

What you're describing is "astroturfing": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

AirBnB provides no benefit to local voters and communities, except to the hosts putting the guests up. Possibly hotel tax revenue, which would've been realized regardless through traditional hotel bookings.

>There seems to be much more organization from the anit-AirBnB side than the pro-AirBnB side

Kidding, right?

http://observer.com/2014/07/hiding-in-plain-sight-what-airbn...

I'm not describing 'astroturfing', but rather investing in a grassroots infrastructure. AirBnB wins on legislation when voters want AirBnB. I will agree that while 'astroturfing' best describes AirBnB's current approach to the problem, it is very expensive with limited effectiveness. The NFL is a wonderful counter example here. They employ every tactic possible for getting new stadiums, but nothing is as effective as the outcry from the public over the possibility of losing their football team.

The anti-AirBnB side is absolutely better organized. Why else would AirBnB have to outspend them >10x to stop Prop F?

> The anti-AirBnB side is absolutely better organized. Why else would AirBnB have to outspend them >10x to stop Prop F?

Perhaps its not about organization? Perhaps the anti-AirBnB side is simply in the right?

Or perhaps they're in the wrong? Are you proposing that right and wrong can be determined by measuring political influence? That seems a bit frightening.

This like most problems is yet again a lack of leadership. Lacksadaisical govt when simple regulations voiced by the people could be easily met. Bnb is like an ostrich with it's head in the sand and should follow the law even if one has to be made.

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