Barcelona could be next. This week, Mayor Jaume Collboni announced plans to ban all short-term private rentals from the city by 2028, cancelling licences of the 10,101 apartments that are currently authorised. Locals say that a black market is already in operation in Barcelona, but banning short-term lets will only intensify the demand for illegal ones, as well as for new hotels, effectively removing income from law-abiding locals and handing it to international hotel chains instead.
If planning a trip to New York City, Edinburgh, Barcelona, or any of the other cities that have a trimmed-down Airbnb offering, it might be tempting to dabble in the off-site black market. You may like the idea of sidestepping booking fees, and communicating on one of your usual social media platforms. Hotels are, after all, only getting more expensive, averaging almost $400 (£316) per night in New York City in May 2024, up 7.4 per cent on the year before.
But this is a risky route for tourists. Booking through legitimate sites like Airbnb or Vrbo means you have support and cover if your booking doesn’t work out as planned, or worse, you fall victim to a scam listing. These sites also vet hosts by verifying IDs and running background checks, where it is allowed by law, minimising the risk of coming into serious danger.
If you engage in the accommodation black market, you might be able to snag a good deal. Indeed, you might be booking with somebody who was an Airbnb Superhost this time last year. But if anything goes wrong, you are on your own. And you could, both figuratively and literally, be left in the dark after handing over your money.