More Airbnb, more crime? Airbnb associated with an increase in robberies and theft

Airbnb has become a household name and revolutionized the travel and hospitality industry. But according to a new study, its impact extends beyond vacation memories and affordable accommodations. Airbnb short-term rentals, especially in a metropolitan city like London, alter neighborhood safety and crime rates. In particular, the number of homes and apartments listed as short-term rentals on Airbnb is linked to higher rates of crime, such as burglaries and street robberies.

Airbnb has taken the world by storm over the past 15 years. The platform now operates in over 220 countries and 100,000 cities, with millions of hosts welcoming travelers into their homes. Unsurprisingly, London has become one of the top cities for Airbnb rentals. Before the pandemic, certain neighborhoods were seeing more than 10% of their housing listed on Airbnb, with some areas seeing a quadrupling of short-term rental activity in just four years.

This has puts a lot of pressure on local communities. With many landlords buying rental homes, it’s difficult for locals to find affordable housing. Housing supply, residential stability and neighborhood cohesion are all affected. But the relationship between Airbnb rentals and crime has largely flown under the radar.

Airbnb and crime

Sociologists Charles C. Lanfear and David S. Kirk from Cambridge University wanted to examine how Airbnb affects local communities. They looked at 4,835 London boroughs, looking at data on six types of crime, including robbery, burglary, theft and violence. The main idea was to determine if an increase in Airbnb short-term rentals correlates with higher crime rates.

The results were clear: Airbnb correlates well with crime. For every 10% increase in active Airbnb rentals in the city, the researchers observed an additional 1,000 robberies per year across London.

“We tested the most plausible alternative explanations, from changes in police patrols to tourist hotspots and even football matches,” said Dr Charles Lanfear of the Cambridge Institute of Criminology, co-author of the study published today in the journal. Criminology.

“Nothing has changed the basic conclusion that Airbnb rentals are linked to higher crime rates in London boroughs.”

Different types of rental

Specifically, robberies, thefts, burglaries, and violent crimes tend to increase in areas with a high density of short-term rental properties. Data models indicate that a 3.2 percent increase in all types of Airbnb rentals per year could lead to a 1 percent increase in robberies citywide—about 325 additional robberies, based on the 32,500 case count recorded from London in 2018.

“Crime seems to go up as soon as Airbnbs come up and stay high as long as they’re active,” Lanfear said.

But there’s an important nuance when it comes to the type of Airbnb listing, researchers say. Entire properties rented out for short-term stays were more likely to be associated with increased crime rates compared to spare rooms in the host’s home. This probably reflects the reduced presence of full-time residents, which might otherwise deter crime. When an entire property is listed on Airbnb, the homeowner or long-term renter is absent, creating a vacancy that criminals could exploit.

In contrast, vacant room listings often involve the owner still living on site, meaning the property remains occupied and the likelihood of an able guardian being present increases. These subtle differences suggest that not all Airbnb properties have the same impact on neighborhood crime, and that entire rentals pose a greater risk.

They are not the guests

While there have been cases of Airbnb guests engaging in anti-social behavior or vandalism, these incidents are rare compared to the huge volume of Airbnb stays around the world. The real problem is how the presence of short-term renters creates opportunities for crime to develop.

Visitors staying in short-term rentals may be more likely to carry valuables such as cameras, laptops and smartphones, making them attractive targets for theft. Thieves may also be attracted by the perceived lower level of local vigilance in areas with transient populations. Ultimately, the researchers conclude that much of this increase in crime stems from this type of opportunity.

“A single Airbnb rental can create different types of criminal opportunities,” Lanfear said. “An Airbnb rental can provide an easy potential victim, such as a tourist unfamiliar with the area or a property that is regularly vacant and so easy to break into. A very temporary occupier may be more likely to cause criminal damage.”

“Criminals can learn to return to areas with multiple Airbnbs to find unguarded targets,” Lanfear said. “More dedicated Airbnb properties could mean fewer long-term residents with a personal stake in the area who are willing to report potential criminal activity.”

Important for local politics

Airbnb is already a controversial topic in urban policymaking. There is much debate about its effects on real estate markets, neighborhood stability, and quality of life. As the platform rapidly expanded globally, cities began to grapple with how to balance the potential benefits Airbnb brings with growing concerns from residents and housing advocates.

Critics argue that Airbnb and similar short-term rental platforms contribute to housing shortage by converting long-term rental units into high-turnover accommodation, increasing rents and reducing availability for local residents. Major cities such as New York, Barcelonaand San Francisco have implemented or proposed strict regulations, including rental day limits, zoning restrictions and registration requirements, to reduce Airbnb’s impact on local communities.

Additionally, while Airbnb can be a valuable source of income and tourism, the uncontrolled growth of short-term rentals can destabilize communities, disturb the cohesion of the neighborhoodand exacerbate housing affordability issues. This new study only gives Airbnb critics more ammunition.

“While Airbnb offers tourists and hosts benefits in terms of convenience and financial rewards, there can be social consequences to turning large swathes of city neighborhoods into hotels with little regulation,” Lanfear said.

Airbnb has taken measures to prevent crime, including some background checks, as well as extended booking requirements on popular one-night party occasions such as New Year’s Eve. “The fact that we’re still finding an increase in crime, despite Airbnb’s efforts to reduce it, reveals the seriousness of the situation,” Kirk said.

Several ways to solve the problem

However, the study also suggests some healthy ways to regulate it. For example, because entire houses and apartments are more closely associated with increased crime, limiting the number of days these properties can be rented or imposing stricter licensing requirements can help mitigate their impact on neighborhoods.

“Short-term rental sites like Airbnb create incentives for landlords that lead to real estate speculation, and we can see the effect on urban housing markets. Now we can see that the expansion of Airbnb can contribute to crime rates in cities.”

“It’s not the company or even the property owners who are dealing with the criminogenic side effects of Airbnb, but the local residents who build their lives in the neighborhood.”

At the end of the day, it seems increasingly clear that in some areas, Airbnb properties can have far-reaching effects on crime and neighborhood stability.

The study was published in the journal Criminology.