Should Seattle Regulate Vacation Rentals?

People struggling with finding a place to rent sometimes point to sites like Airbnb or VRBO as a reason for not finding a property. The belief is that these properties aren't available for long-term rental because they are on short-term rental sites. In Seattle, the use of home-sharing and vacation rental sites, like Airbnb and VRBO, has exploded in the last six years. The effect is an expanded, and more visible, marketplace for people to rent out their homes for short-term use.

However, a recent study (published by AirBnB) indicates a much lower impact. AirBnB provided data on Seattle short term rentals and the results are surprising. Homes rented full-time through Airbnb, make up only 0.05 percent of Seattle’s overall housing stock. This is such a small number of the overall housing market. The claim these sites make it harder to rent a property and the subsequent push for additional regulation seems nonsense when validated against real rental data. The idea that these sites are making it harder for folks to find a suitable rentable property is quite silly. In fact, these sites might encourager landowners to expand use of ADUs or DADUs with the option for both short or long term rental options.

Don't believe the hype. You can rent a place in Seattle and Proper Rent can help.

Some interesting articles:

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/fighting-restrictions-airbnb-says-year-round-entire-home-rentals-small-fraction-seattle-housing/

http://www.kiro7.com/news/should-seattle-regulate-vacation-rentals-like-airbnb/130521717

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/cant-find-a-home-in-seattle-airbnb-rentals-may-be-to-blame/