ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5 the authors turn to Germany, one of Airbnb’s least penetrated markets and a counterpoint to Australia. Unlike the US and Australia, Germany is a nation of renters with a tradition of legal protection for tenants and well-organized tenant associations. As in Australia, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) had only minor effects on the German housing market and, in contrast to the US and Australia, financialization came late and primarily to the large rental sector. The cities studied are Berlin and Munich, both major tourist cities facing severe housing crises. Although Airbnb made early inroads in these cities, local authorities and residents were skeptical of Airbnb and its claims. Responding to the concerns about the loss of residential housing, the cities turned to existing housing laws protecting residential housing from “misuse” to regulate short-term rentals (STRs). While empirical data were relatively sparse, local authorities were less concerned with the numbers than with the principle – the misuse of residential housing.
