I will like to reply to two points here, the first one is your point that Airbnb could not be regulated again, while the second is the summary of the whole thing if short-term rentals are to be blamed.
Well, Airbnb and other similar businesses can be well-regulated, but some governments might not be willing at that time, and it's often late before the government intervene.
Also note that this is business and also good for tourism, though it's causing housing issues because property owners might want to maximize their profits, which is normal. It's simple, it's a matter of more demands than availability, this is where the government should take action by encouraging investors in that sector, and by providing access to more facilities that will not only encourage the government to provide housing units but also encourage mortgages and real estate buoyancy in the country.
I believe that it's too late to intervene, thus, they simply let it be. It certainly is good for tourism but we can't let locals aside, tourism is a great industry I don't believe the opposite, but it has gone out of hand that's interfering the locals negatively.
There is a housing crisis in all major cities around the world, and it can be said that prices cannot be controlled, which are subject to the principle of supply and demand. Less offers and more demand. On this basis, not everyone is able to find adequate housing in these cities. Here are some ideas that might be helpful:
- The suburbs of these cities may be less expensive to rent in agreement with a housing partner. This would be a good option with a car or public transportation available.
- Governments usually provide social housing at prices commensurate with the financial capabilities of the middle class. You may seek to obtain one of them.
- If it is possible to change work to less crowded cities, the chances of finding suitable housing are much better.
Usually living in the suburbs worked, at least in the past, now, even the suburbs have developed so much that it's almost no different than living in the city. This surely depends on where you live, this might be an individual case in my area. The condition to receiving government assistance is usually against you too, there are some requirements that it's hard to qualify, but that's a lengthy discussion for a different matter. Moving to a non touristic city may be a better solution, but like all options, it has major disadvantages too
Regards to your stress in trying to look for a house for rent, you can't do it alone. You need agents or Airbnb depeion what you are looking for.
Housing is such an expensive aspect of life in this time around and you know many investors have gone into such business and that is why you see the short term rentals making much money, it is about the business and profit for them. Across the globe, short term rentals make more money than the long term accommodation and in some area what you see is just the short term rentals. This is where the government has to come in. They need to build more houses. In the past in Nigeria, it was the practice that different state government built houses for the civil servants and others housing estates that where put on rent, mortgage or lease. Some houses were built by government for outright sales but I think this time around, the government isn't focusing on proper housing regulation because then there was Federal Housing Authority (FHA), I don't know how active that authority is now.
Real estate agents here suck big time, they are the absolute worst. The majority of them don't do anything more than create a listing on the internet and forget about it. You have to chase them in order to assist you and show you the properties, when it should be the exact opposite. Agents should listen to your needs and assist you to find the optimal property to rent. It used to be that way, but the recent demand in housing lead to a massive increase of so-called agents that lack the skills and the professionalism to be of any help.