A vacation rental on Santa Monica Ave.
New data from Airbnb shows that their short term vacation rentals listings in Ocean Beach have risen 64% since last year. This equates to 230 units, according to an article from Voice of San Diego.
The Voice article by Ashley McGlone, relies on new information from Airbnb analytics company Beyond Pricing, and says that “the number of Airbnb listings is rising in nearly every neighborhood across San Diego,”yet, “Ocean Beach and La Jolla saw the greatest gains.” (While OB had a rate of 64%, La Jolla rose to 58 percent with 404 rentals.)
And once again, Ocean Beach joined 5 other neighborhoods this year as well as last year in being the locations of almost half of all San Diego’s Airbnb listings. The other neighborhoods: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla, North Park and East Village.
Other large increases of listings were seen in South Park, Point Loma, and Little Italy.
The city as a whole saw Airbnb listings rise 39 percent, from 3,105 in February 2015 to 4,305 this month, data shows. The number includes full-time entire home rentals — often referred to by critics as mini-hotels — as well as rooms or guesthouses rented out while the homeowner remains on site.
This data and article says that OB had 230 units with Airbnb, and of course, Airbnb is not the only national short-term vacation rental company, so undoubtedly there are more short-term rentals in OB than than – even knowing that some people list their units on multiple sites.
For comparison, the OB Rag did a short study last summer on short term rentals in OB and reported this:
A July study of Airbnb and the units they have available for OB showed that on July 8, 2015, they advertised 212 rental spaces, of which 157 were the “entire place” (74%), 51 were private rooms and 4 were a shared room. The average rental rate was $189 a night.
The next day, July 9th, we looked at VRBO, a similar online rental company. It advertised between 178 to 184 rentals in Ocean Beach. Most – 74 – were 2-bedrooms, 48 were 1-bedrooms, and 14 were 3-bedrooms
Another review of Airbnb in August showed that the company for OB had 198 rentals, of which 141 were for the entire place – 71%, for an average of $178 a day, 53 private rooms and 4 shared rooms.
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See the following:
Loss of Community Is Greatest Threat From Airbnb and Short-Term Vacation Rentals
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This needs to stop! I believe it’s a major factor driving up rents and housing prices in OB. Personally, I haven’t noticed an increase in tourists, but I want OB to stay a residential community.
Some people want rents and housing prices to go up. (not me)
Air B & B threatens the community of O B in every way, from causing us to become sleep-deprived (you know, that noisy party ’til 3 a.m. just down the stree)t, to rising rents as developers swoop in, making it harder and harder to be a year-round renter here.
What are the solutions? What is the city doing to preserve our quality of life versus abetting the Air B & B “business model”?
Many say vacation rentals in OB aren’t a problem [as of today]. I generally agree. But we have to act on it BEFORE it becomes a major problem, because once it goes there, there is no going back. You will be fighting a losing battle against bunch of wealthy out-of-town investor/owners that own half your neighborhood, and their attorneys. Not to mention a city government dependent on their hotel taxes.
They ARE a problem.
You don’t know what u don’t know.
My point is, people are only looking at the current state, thinking it’s not a big deal… When they need to think about what it will become. Everyone needs to ask themselves if they are cool with OB transforming into Mission Beach 2.0
Also, STVRs are 100% legal in certain zones, such as the dense residential RM5-12, and the Commercial zones. These zones exist in some parts of OB, but probably not next door to your house. The photo above shows a legal STVR in a commercial zone near Pizza Port.
The city needs to enforce the law FIRST instead of tiptoeing around all those folks that are breaking it.
What is the City doing about this is a very good question?
Does anyone know the answer
I like Air BnB. It opens communities to those who would not otherwise be able to visit and stay, and the money doesn’t go to a corporate hotel. Most renters don’t party to 3a.m and trash the place. I would say just as meany people that live here full time do that then renters.
I agree locals have parties also.Its bad when you start stereotyping any group and forming prejudices.air bnb brings a lot of business to areas outside of the cities pet projects areas