第2865期:Airbnb

We're talking about Airbnb. What is Airbnb? Well, Airbnb is an online community marketplace for holiday rentals. It connects people with rooms to share with people who need a place to stay.我们今天要谈的是 Airbnb。什么是 Airbnb？嗯，Airbnb 是一个线上社区型的短租市场平台。它把有空房可分享的人与需要住宿的人连接起来。Right, so Airbnb has really taken off recently, hasn't it? Yes. June 2015, the company was priced at $25.5 billion. Wow.是的，Airbnb 最近真的发展得很快，不是吗？是的。2015 年 6 月，这家公司估值达到 255 亿美元。哇。I know, and ranked the third most valuable start-up business in the world. Hmm, so how many properties do they have on their books then?我知道，它被评为全球第三有价值的创业公司。嗯，那他们的平台上到底有多少房源呢？Over 2 million listings, Richard, in more than 190 countries. So it's truly worldwide.超过 200 万条房源，Richard，分布在 190 多个国家。可以说是真正的全球化。Yeah, over 65 million people have used it already. And counting. Exactly.是的，已有超过 6500 万人使用过它，而且数字还在持续上涨。确实如此。And it's mainly in cities, isn't it? And I think it's come up with a few problems though recently.而且它主要集中在城市，对吧？不过我觉得最近也出现了一些问题。Yeah. For this podcast, we're going to look at some concerns that city authorities have on the Airbnb business.是的。今天的播客里，我们会探讨一些城市管理当局对 Airbnb 所提出的担忧。I can imagine the first one is a lot of these people renting out their rooms. They're not declaring their tax, are they?我可以想象，第一个问题就是很多人把房间出租出去，但并没有申报纳税，对吧？Yeah, the illegality issue, of course, is probably number one. Landlords don't always register their property or pay taxes on their income.是的，违法问题当然是首要的。房东并不总是登记他们的房产，也不一定会为他们的租金收入缴税。In New York, it's illegal to sublet a room for fewer than 30 days if you aren't actually living there. But, of course, people will though, won't they?在纽约，如果房东本人不住在房子里，那么把房间出租少于 30 天是违法的。但当然，人们还是会这么做，对吧？Yeah, and in Barcelona, any flat rented to tourists must be registered with the Catalan Tourist Board. And local laws also prohibit renting out rooms in private residencies.是的，而在巴塞罗那，任何出租给游客的公寓都必须向加泰罗尼亚旅游局登记。此外，当地法律也禁止在私人住所中出租房间。Hmm, I think that's the big thing, isn't it?嗯，我想这就是最大的问题，对吧？Yeah, that's not happening either. So, the city recently fined Airbnb 30,000 euros because the properties listed were not legal.是的，但这些规定也没有真正落实。所以，这座城市最近对 Airbnb 罚款了 3 万欧元，因为平台上列出的许多房源都是违法的。Hmm. Another problem, Richard, that cities have, as a result of Airbnb's popularity, there are fewer rental properties for local people and rates have increased.嗯。Richard，另一个问题是，因 Airbnb 的流行，当地居民可租的房源变少，租金也上涨了。So that the local people are getting priced out of the market.导致当地人被迫离开原本能负担得起的社区。Yeah, landlords have quickly realised that they can make more money by renting their apartments to tourists.是的，房东很快意识到，把房子租给游客可以赚更多钱。Short-term rather than the long-term, Brett.相比长期租客，短租更赚钱，Brett。Exactly, exactly. So, many urban neighbourhoods, for example, New Orleans, right, they have become fun, cheap places to stay in if you're a tourist, but an unaffordable area for people who used to live there.完全正确。例如许多城市社区，比如新奥尔良，已经变成游客觉得好玩又便宜的住宿地，但对于原本住在那里的人来说却变得负担不起。Hmm. So, what are cities doing about that then?嗯。那么城市在对此采取什么措施呢？Well, good question. Another city, Berlin, they reckon that private online bookings represent an additional 6.1 million overnight stays a year.好问题。以柏林为例，他们估计私人在线预订每年增加 610 万个过夜量。Wow.哇。So, in an effort to keep housing affordable for local people, the city has passed a new law. Landlords are now limited to renting out only rooms.因此，为了保持住房对当地居民的可负担性，这座城市通过了新法令。房东现在只能出租单个房间。It's no longer possible for landlords to rent out whole apartments.房东不再能出租整套公寓。Well, let's see if that makes a difference then.好吧，那就看看这会不会带来改变。Right, so all these people coming into the city, it must put a lot of pressure on the infrastructure as well.是的，这么多人涌进城市，也必然给基础设施带来很大压力。Another good point, Richard. If you take Iceland, it's only got a population of 335,000, right?你提得很好，Richard。以冰岛为例，它的人口只有 33.5 万，对吧？Most of them in Reykjavik, yes, the capital.大多数集中在雷克雅未克，也就是首都。Exactly. Now, 2016 saw 1.6 million tourists.没错。而在 2016 年，冰岛接待了 160 万名游客。Wow, that's a lot of people descending on a small town.哇，那对这么小的城市来说实在太多人了。Yeah, and unsurprisingly, the number of Airbnb properties has risen, especially in the capital, Reykjavik, where most tourists stay.是的，不意外地，Airbnb 的房源也大幅增加，特别是在游客最集中的雷克雅未克。So, what's the problem there then?那那里出现了什么问题呢？Well, the Icelandic Tourist Board doesn't want Reykjavik to become a city centre devoid of citizens, right?冰岛旅游局不希望雷克雅未克的市中心变成没有居民的地方，对吧？And also, the lack of infrastructure on the island is a concern, particularly lack of public toilets and parking facilities and things like that.此外，岛上的基础设施不足也是个问题，尤其是缺乏公共厕所、停车设施等。So, what are they doing about it then?那他们对此采取什么措施呢？Now, a special licence is needed for any apartment rented out for more than 90 days a year, and these are going to be tightly controlled.现在，凡是一年出租超过 90 天的公寓，都必须取得特别许可证，而且管控会非常严格。Interestingly though, if you have a flat in an apartment block and you want to rent out the flat or a room there, you have to have approval from the other residents in the building before you can advertise on Airbnb.有趣的是，如果你住在一栋公寓楼里，想把整间或部分房间出租，你必须先得到楼里其他住户的同意，才能在 Airbnb 上挂牌。Yes, I'm sure that might lead to a few problems with your neighbours.是的，这肯定会引起邻居之间的一些矛盾。Well, the neighbours get fed up because someone rents out their apartment to a whole load of people who have a big party and there's nothing you can do about it. They suffer from the noise and their neighbour gets all the cash.邻居们会非常不满，因为有人把房子租给大群人，举办派对，而他们对此无能为力。他们要承受噪音，而房东却拿走所有的钱。So, what about you, the listener? What's your experience of Airbnb? Have you used it? Has it been a positive experience or a negative experience? We'd love to hear from you.那么你呢？我们的听众，你对 Airbnb 有什么经验？你用过吗？是正面的体验还是负面的？我们很想听听你的故事。