How AirBnB Created a Housing Crisis

by | Mar 12, 2024 | Affordable Housing

A number of factors have caused our housing crisis. However, Airbnb is a big contributing factor. Watch the YouTube video story below about the role it has played in reducing the availability of affordable rental housing.

Airbnb has affected the housing market in Chapel Hill, as well as the national housing market. A three-way partnership of the Chamber, CHALT, and the Chapel Hill hotel owners. came together to ask the Town to study the problem and ask Chapel Hill to come up with solutions. CHALT has shown its willingness to work with groups who don’t necessarily share our policy positions.

The task force work resulted in a very strong ordinance, at least on paper.  Here is more information about the ordinance is here: https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/planning/overlay-districts#str

The Chapel Hill Council passed the ordinance in June 2021 with a unanimous vote of the previous council. Many of the councilors who voted for it are a) still on council and b) have become subsequent advocates of the town’s Complete Communities framework. (Technically, it passed 8-0 with Hemminger, Parker, Buansi, Gu, Stegman, Huynh, & Ryan voting for it; Anderson was absent that night.)
Enforcement has been a challenge and potential loopholes exist that are potentially at odds with the Complete COmmunities framework, such as the ability to rent ADUs short-term.

Read this story about how CHALT’s collaborative partnership with Chapel Hill’s hotels made a difference.

Short-term Rentals in Chapel Hill: A Successful Collaboration