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Airbnbs may attract more crime to neighbourhoods, a new study has warned, after finding that areas with lots of listings have increased reports of violence.
Researchers said tourists themselves do not appear to be responsible for the spike in disorder because it happens gradually over a number of years.
Instead they blame the erosion of local social dynamics that prevent crime caused by a number of properties in a neighbourhood being converted to short-term rentals.
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Disorder: Airbnbs may attract more crime to neighbourhoods, a new study has warned, after finding that areas with lots of listings have increased reports of violence
The study by Northeastern University in Massachusetts analysed data on different types of crime in Boston from 2011 to 2017 in an attempt to better understand the relationship between Airbnb listings and disorder.
Researchers looked at two mechanisms by which short-term rentals might increase crime, including both the tourists staying at Airbnbs and how listings might disrupt local social dynamics that mitigate or prevent crime.
They found that the greater the number of listings in a neighborhood the higher the rates of violence. However, it did not equate to more social disorder or private conflict.
The link also did not appear immediately after the listings became available to tourists but instead grew over several years, the researchers said.
'We show that
