Reader: Nobody Bats an Eye Over Annoying Neighbors, So Why Pick on Airbnb?

No room at the inn this Christmas? No problem. The short-term rental business is booming in Denver, and there were plenty of available places listed on Airbnb. But neighbors are beginning to complain about some of these short-term rentals popping up in residential areas, which is why in 2016 Denver...

By Westword Staff

December 28, 2015

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No room at the inn this Christmas? No problem. The short-term rental business is booming in Denver, and there were plenty of available places listed on Airbnb. But neighbors are beginning to complain about some of these short-term rentals popping up in residential areas, which is why in 2016 Denver City Council will consider a measure that would regulate the industry, as other municipalities have done — and collect city lodging taxes on those short-term rentals. You can expect discussion of that proposal to be heated, judging from comments that are coming in about our cover story. Says Michael:

Nice unbiased journalism.

Nobody bats an eye at that annoying neighbor (we all have) that has a garage band, loud annoying dog, etc... But when it comes to a STR tenant, we can't fathom that these kinds of people exist in the world. Leave it to the unprogressive among us to look to regulate something that seems to be working well all over the world for most people. I guess you'd rather have Paris Hilton and her fam make more money than those in your community. Brilliant.

But then there's this from Steve:

Fucking yuppies ruining all of the good cities for the people who actually built and care about the community.

Have you stayed in an Airbnb? How do you feel about short-term rentals in residential communities? Read our short-term rentals cover story here — along with more comments.

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