Is there such a thing as a perma-shortage? When it comes to affordable housing in the Bay Area, many conclude that the answer is “yes.” Rents are high, rentals are hard to find, and regulations slow the pace of fresh construction.
Lobbyists and politicians seem to believe the best way to widen availability of lower-priced apartments is to squeeze those who happen to operate on the supply side of the market. Especially those who are likely to come up with new forms of supply. It was less than two decades ago that two brave hosts in San Francisco established a kind of short-term rental that changed the way Americans travel: Airbnb. Anyone that brave also has the potential to race ahead in the marketplace and develop new kinds of housing for longer-term tenants.
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