Report looks at how Airbnb-style rentals affect Montana’s affordable housing problem
By David Erickson
The home-sharing website Airbnb lists roughly 300 short-term rentals listed in Missoula, a community with a population of about 75,000. That pales in comparison to the 915 listings in Whitefish, pop. 7,600, or the 524 listings in Bozeman, pop. 48,000.
Short-term rentals can cause problems in communities, including increased home prices, a reduction in workforce and affordable housing and changes in neighborhood complexion. That’s according to Norma Nickerson of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.
Along with co-author Rhonda Fitzgerald, an inn owner in Whitefish, Nickerson wrote a recent report for Montana Business Quarterly about the fast-growing industry of home sharing in Montana.
Read more from Missoulian here.