Outlaw hotels destroy the neighborhoods that host them.

There are many well-documented cases of short term lets being associated with crime and anti-social behavior. There have been cases of shootings, kidnappings, drug deals, prostitution, suicide, accidental death, and a host of other crimes in short term lets, often located right next to family homes and residential apartments. Many guests host parties and other loud and intrusive events in their lets, much to their neighbor’s dismay.

No wonder then that a Sydney town council officer stated that short term letting was the number one source of neighbourhood disputes in his district.

However, the impact of outlaw hotels and short term letting goes beyond the fact that guests are noisy and pose a fire risk. By replacing long term residents with a constant stream of short term guests outlaw hotels destroy the residential character of the neighbor. It destroys the community. Instead of living next to neighbors, you live next to guests, who you know will not be their next week. In the words of one Toronto resident: “We basically have no neighbors anymore; the sense of community has dissolved. It leaves just these gaps, these dead zones. We have no idea who’s next door from day-to-day.”