Up in the Air: How thousands of lets on Airbnb could be illegal

With a new taskforce set to tackle illegal lets, the tide may be about to turn for the tech giant accused of fuelling the housing crisis

Airbnb may go for direct listing
Photo by Eoin O'Hara

When Airbnb staff marched together in this year’s Dublin Pride parade, they received a less than rapturous reception. Along the route, they were greeted with posters that said: “Dear Airbnb, thanks for contributing to our country’s housing crisis . . . tourists occupy full houses while homeless people sleep in doorways.”

In October last year, activists from Take Back the City occupied the home-sharing company’s headquarters in Hanover Quay in Dublin. ...