We were shocked this week by a report from a consumer watchdog group that clearly showed attempts by AirBnb hosts to take advantage of their much-in-demand properties and to charge grossly higher rates for the days leading up to and including Fat Tuesday to their guests.
The outcry from neighborhood enthusiasts has always been that supplanting locals who contribute to the local economy on a regular basis with tourists who have no vested interest or attachment to the area is a very bad thing. Their pushback is that a sharp uptick in tourists does not breed love of the city nor pride in the neighborhood in which they are staying.
While it is technically the right of the property owners to set their own rates, we believe that gouging the public like this is wrong and cannot ever be justified.
When the use of AirBnb was first discussed, City Council members were told it was a way for middle-class property owners to share their rooms or apartments and derive much-needed income. An ideal situation is one where the owner is actually on premises and can share not only his property, but his insights and suggestions to visitors on how to best enjoy the comforts and sights of the city. But too often this is not the case. Many out-of-town owners have purchased properties in areas like Bywater and Faubourg Marigny with the intention of charging as much as they can, sometimes in multiple units.
This is now an instrument of greed for the property owners. We in the Jewish community have long maintained close ties with our neighbors. We have been mandated to take care of our lands and to share what is left over with those in need. We were commanded to forgive loans after a seven-year period. All of this is to keep our human nature in check with a morality that comes from the Almighty.
Just because someone has a right to overcharge a visitor more than 2007% for a room, doesn’t mean that he should. These kind of challenges should be policed by AirBnb themselves as self-policing doesn’t seem to be working.
