CONCERNS have been raised about the “out of control” expansion of short-term rental properties as research suggested some areas have one Airbnb listing for every four properties.
The accommodation marketplace questioned the figures from a daily newspaper and said listings may not always affect availability of local housing stock. The newspaper said it cross-referenced 250,000 listings on Airbnb with Government figures on housing stock, finding 0.8 for every 100 homes.
But director of public policy at Airbnb, Patrick Robinson, said: “This data is wrong and the methodology is flawed. It assumes that every listing on Airbnb - including hotel rooms, B+Bs and rooms in homes - is an entire home, which is untrue.”
Dan Wilson Craw, director of housing pressure group Generation Rent, said: “In rural areas and cities alike, young adults can’t afford to settle down in the areas they grew up in.”
Edinburgh’s Old Town had 29 active listings on the website per 100 properties, while Skye had 25 for every 100 places.
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