Airbnb will begin working with apartment complexes under the Friendly Apartments program to provide housing opportunities.
PHOENIX – Short-term home rentals are a hot issue for many neighborhoods in the Valley. Now the home-sharing giant Airbnb will begin working with select apartment complexes in the Phoenix area to expand opportunities.
Longtime tenants like Connor Child said they would embrace the idea of the Friendly apartments program deployed by Airbnb.
“I’ve been a tenant for 5 years now, so for times when you’re going away for longer periods, I think that’s great,” he said.
As someone who comes home for the holidays and often works out of town, Child likes the new option to potentially earn a little extra income.
“It’s good to try and make some money during these times, I think it’s great and kind of lends itself to people who have more variable schedules,” he added.
However, there is some skepticism about the idea of ”unit sharing”. Kyle Stanley, with “Pursuit Hospitality Management” and also the host of The intrepid investor, oversees dozens of Airbnb properties in the Valley. He said there was a lot of focus on the short-term rental game, and it wasn’t just people who needed accommodation.
“We’re already seeing, due to the increase in short-term rentals in Phoenix and Scottsdale, that a lot of people don’t want to stay in condos and apartments, but they want to save money, that’s not always attract the best tenant,” he explained.
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“What we see with tenants and rentals is that because they’re trying to save money, they might leave the place a mess because they’re like, I haven’t paid enough money to stay in this place, to treat it like mine anyway,” he added.
That’s why Airbnb’s Jesse Stein said safeguards are in place to protect existing tenants and any potential tenants.
“We are vetting all of our customers before they can book into these buildings, so they can have peace of mind, and similar checks have been carried out on customers as they have been carried out on residents of the building that might be your neighbors,” Stein said.
A system that companies like Greystar will implement by partnering with Airbnb to offer the “Friendly Apartments” program in some of their communities.
“Greystar is excited to offer the Airbnb Friendly Program in participating communities, which offers residents the opportunity to responsibly monetize their apartment and realize the economic benefits of lodging. We believe this platform will provide the right tools for landlords and residents to effectively manage short-term rental business without impacting overall housing supply We are collaborating with Airbnb on this innovative approach to thoughtfully participate in the 21st century sharing economy “said a gray star said the spokesperson.
There is a ceiling between 80 and 120 nights maximum to rent per year, this is to protect against investors and money thieves who troll the housing market. A rule tenants like Child fully agree with.
“Maybe you can only rent after you’ve lived there for a while, making sure it benefits not only the tenant, but the other people in that complex as well,” he added.
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