Topic: Are short-term rentals to blame for the lack of housing? - page 3. (Read 841 times)

Tourist areas do have their own characteristics. I'm not sure if living with parents for a long time is a consequence of being located in a tourist zone .

Yes, in a tourist zone, a significant part of the rental housing is rented out to tourists for daily rent, not long-term to locals. Because it is much more profitable.
But I think the problem is solvable. You can move to another neighborhood of the city, which is not in the historical/tourist zone. It is possible to change the city of residence. You can buy an apartment outside the tourist zone, if you do not plan to rent it, but use it for your own residence.
You can move to another country with more comfortable conditions, and this is not a problem either. 

In short - you just need to accept this feature of tourist zones, and just make an acceptable decision !

I've been inactive for quite a while because I'm in the process of renting a house. I don't know how easy it is in other countries, but here, it's an extremely time-consuming and nerve-racking process. I spent more than a week in the streets without any success.

I know for a fact that many tourist-oriented cities across Europe are facing similar issues due to the increasing supply of Airbnbs and the increase in digital nomads over the years. This is rendering the situation uninhabitable for local residents, who have to face the constantly increasing rents because homeowners prefer to rent to tourists and digital nomads, who have a much higher spending capability. On the one hand, from homeowners' points of view, it's understandable; they want to make the most out of their property, but on the other hand, locals will ultimately be forced to leave the city or live in poor conditions.

For instance, a typical example of how much remote working has spread in Europe and Greece specifically is the following: The official digital nomads Facebook group used to have less than 5,000 users approximately a year ago; now it has over 34,000, which doesn't necessarily mean that all these people live in Greece and work remotely, but I'm trying to emphasize how broader the issue is for locals because there's an increasing interest in short-term rentals. I remember a few years ago, the local newspaper was filled with housing listings, but after the introduction of Airbnb and short-term rentals, this has changed. Not only is there a lack of housing due to the increasing demand and the constantly decreasing supply, but those that are available are too expensive and, in some cases, unsuitable to live in due to how small and improvised they are. My previous apartment was in the basement and suffered from serious humidity and mold issues.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in my area is about €400, which is still far from being perfect or ideal, often lacking basic utilities such as proper heating or a solar water heater, which is a must for the 300 days a year of sunshine we have. I know that compared to other European cities, this amount of money sounds insignificant, but when the average salary is approximately €700, you can wish yourself good luck living alone. No wonder almost half of the population aged between 18 and 25 still lives with their parents.

In my opinion, it's doubtful that this situation is going to improve anytime soon. Touristic cities are bound to suffer from a lack of available housing for long-term rental, and Airbnb can no longer be regulated in order to create a balance between locals and tourists. What do you think can be done in such cases, and what would you do on a personal level? Move out, stick to paying an extreme amount for housing, or live in a substandard apartment hoping to find something better in the future?

thats true, but sometime the location for getting cheaper rental is further than just a few hundred meters, certainly it will add to cost of transportation and many things.
like using delivery food service it will also increase the fee needed, honestly its the same, if the location of the house is near and it can add many benefit towards the quality of our life even possibly helps us save money because its near to many public facilities and restaurant even food stalls its just far better choice in my opinion.
therefore it needs to be considered about all thing that revolves around our life not just the price of the rents.

I think the rental price depends on the location, if we have the patience to find a cheaper house to rent then we can easily get it, I once worked in an area where the rent for a place was very expensive, but I was looking for a small road that was not far away and could get it at a very low price cheaper maybe only about 30% of the market price.

The price of renting a house or rented house does not always depend on the location of the house in a certain location, because there are also prices for renting a house or rented house which become expensive due to the large size of the house and also the facilities in it. So we need to understand this from several points of view so that we can know why the price of renting a house or renting a house is high, although in general the price is also very likely to become expensive because there are more people interested in renting a house in that location.

And for a solution that wants to find cheaper house rental costs, we really have to look at nearby houses that are not far from the place we are focusing on because there are no other costs that we have to pay every time we go out to get to our actual destination.

I think the rental price depends on the location, if we have the patience to find a cheaper house to rent then we can easily get it, I once worked in an area where the rent for a place was very expensive, but I was looking for a small road that was not far away and could get it at a very low price cheaper maybe only about 30% of the market price.

I think the rental price depends on the location, if we have the patience to find a cheaper house to rent then we can easily get it, I once worked in an area where the rent for a place was very expensive, but I was looking for a small road that was not far away and could get it at a very low price cheaper maybe only about 30% of the market price.

I think the rental price depends on the location, if we have the patience to find a cheaper house to rent then we can easily get it, I once worked in an area where the rent for a place was very expensive, but I was looking for a small road that was not far away and could get it at a very low price cheaper maybe only about 30% of the market price.

I think the rental price depends on the location, if we have the patience to find a cheaper house to rent then we can easily get it, I once worked in an area where the rent for a place was very expensive, but I was looking for a small road that was not far away and could get it at a very low price cheaper maybe only about 30% of the market price.

I can't really relate to this as I am not renting, but what I've noticed is that in my place, it's starting now with those homeowners converting their homes into air BNB, which is short-term rentals, which means they aim for a higher price, and the place is also good, but we still have those rental properties that can be rented for a long time, I think because we are in a 3rd world country and there is still a lot of development. I'm not sure if the government can intervene on it, but there must be regulations about those Airbnbs because local people will suffer like you or other low-income earners because it's too expensive to rent or there is no available property to rent for a long period of time.

Maybe for us we think they are a problem but for others who are benefiting from it, they think its a solution to their problem. We are lucky to have our own homes but what about the others who don't have? The only thing that they can do for now is to rent or live on the streets like a homeless person.

I think that can cause more problems to the society. Even without Airbnb, pandemic, and inflation, the price of the house are still expensive. They are increasing from time to time, which is why they are one of the best investments. Renting might still be a short-term solution, so renters should try to save and build their own homes later on.

What I find interesting is how renting sector manages to find people willing to pay that much if the minimum wage is so low?
Usually in places where minimum wage is around 1k EUR, you won't pay more than 500 for rent, so an apartment costs you half of the minimum wage (on the average). Why is it that Greece manages to sustain such imbalance? We could blame it on tourism, but then 3-4 months a year all these apartments stay unoccupied, so is renting 2/3 of the year and paying the tax for another 1/3 with no profit is better for all these people than simply renting out for long term and forgetting about the apartment for 2-3 years?

From what you wrote, you guys have a few options. One or both of you can seek a better job (tourism), or you can look for a bigger apartment that you can share with someone, preferably a pair like you. Costs of living in a bigger 2 bedroom place with 4 people would be much lower, or you can start working abroad, since even 800 is still a low wage in the EU.

Maybe for us we think they are a problem but for others who are benefiting from it, they think its a solution to their problem. We are lucky to have our own homes but what about the others who don't have? The only thing that they can do for now is to rent or live on the streets like a homeless person.

I think that can cause more problems to the society. Even without Airbnb, pandemic, and inflation, the price of the house are still expensive. They are increasing from time to time, which is why they are one of the best investments. Renting might still be a short-term solution, so renters should try to save and build their own homes later on.

Although I understand your point, buying a used car and renting out a place are two completely different things. Both, however, are time-consuming and nerve-racking processes because, in both cases, you'll find an abundance of lemons. Theoretically, my partner and I have been on the lookout for a new rental house for over 6 months; we haven't been actively looking till now, but it's fair to say that nothing worthy has come up yet. The previous house we rented was in another city, which faced an even larger issue with housing: there weren't any available; your only chance was through word-of-mouth, no advertisements or anything. Thus, you're pretty much stuck with what you find. Where we currently live, there are a few houses available, but most of them are either too small or too expensive for what they offer.

Greece's minimum wage is €670 for all-year-round occupations, and the majority of businesses offer the lowest you can get. The average you'd receive is about €750–€800 because the minimum wage is for 40 hours of work per week and most jobs occupy you for at least 48 hours, which is practically 8 hours of overtime work. You can receive a greater salary if you work in the tourism sector, averaging €1000–€1200 per month for approximately 6–7 months at most. Then, you'll receive 3 months of unemployment benefits (€468 per month) until you return to work.

I'm already living with my partner, so we're splitting rent and utilities; however, that doesn't change the fact that €400 for a small apartment is too much when the minimum wage is so little.

In a difficult financial situation and housing problem, finding a personal solution like renting an average apartment can be a way to stay alive during difficult times. Waiting for the government to solve the problem can take time and doesn't always work.

Perhaps the government's focus on tourism rather than meeting basic needs of the people can lead to discontent and protests from the community. As you say, solving the problem of decent housing is an important factor in the stability and development of a society.

instead look for a personal solution like renting a small home or buying a home when you can. It is a temporary solution to secure daily life. And when you have a financial opportunity, buying a better place to live or moving to a new location is also a good option.

The problem is too complex, it is true that companies like Airbnb are part of the problem, however the problem is way deeper than that, due to the high inflation we went through due to the pandemic houses became more expensive and now more people are interested on renting, increasing the demand, however less houses were sold due to the higher prices reducing the supply, and now homeowners want to pay for their mortgage as soon as possible and they need to make as much money as they can while reducing the expenses their properties generate, and when you put the whole picture together then it is clear why this is happening to you and why if anything it could get worse during the short term.