Re: “Spain orders Airbnb to block nearly 66,000 holiday rental listings over rule violations” (May 19, Business):
It was interesting to read what Spain is doing about the housing crisis. With over 321,000 licensed short-term rentals, the government is cracking down on over 65,000 that are not properly permitted and want Airbnb to shut off those listings. Barcelona is going even further, with 10,000 short-term rental units no longer allowed after 2028. That is 10,000 units that Spaniards will be able to live in.
Seattle is only half the population of Barcelona, but what if there are 5,000 units in Seattle that could be freed up for Seattleites to be able to live in? Hotels were designed for short-term rentals. I think it is time to go back to that model. It will be interesting to see how this works in Spain, but I am glad to see a government that is willing to truly tackle the housing problem.
Ed McConkey, Bonney Lake
