Airbnb has become a household name and revolutionized the travel and hospitality industries. But, according to a new study, its impact extends beyond vacation memories and affordable accommodations. Airbnb short-term rentals, particularly in a metropolitan city like London, are reshaping neighborhood safety and crime rates. In particular, the number of houses and flats listed as short-term lets on Airbnb is linked with higher rates of crimes such as burglaries and street robberies.

Airbnb has taken the world by storm in the past 15 years. The platform now operates in over 220 countries and 100,000 cities, with millions of hosts welcoming travelers into their homes. Unsurprisingly, London has emerged as one of the top cities for Airbnb rentals. Prior to the pandemic, certain boroughs saw over 10% of their dwellings listed on Airbnb, with some areas experiencing a quadrupling of short-term rental activity over just four years.

This has put a lot of pressure on local communities. With many landlords buying houses to rent, it’s difficult for locals to find affordable housing. Housing supply, residential stability, and neighborhood cohesion are all affected. But the relationship between Airbnb rentals and crime has largely flown under the radar.

Airbnb and crime

Sociologists Charles C. Lanfear and David S. Kirk from Cambridge University wanted to examine how Airbnb is affecting local communities. They looked at 4,835 neighborhoods across London, analyzing data on six types of crime, including robbery, burglary, theft, and violence. The main idea was to determine whether an increase in short-term Airbnb rentals correlated with higher crime rates.

The results were clear: Airbnb correlates well with crime. For every 10% increase in active Airbnb rentals in the city, the researchers saw an additional 1,000 robberies per year across London.

“We tested for the most plausible alternative explanations, from changes in police patrols to tourist hotspots and even football matches,” said Dr Charles Lanfear from Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology, co-author of the study published today in the journal Criminology.

“Nothing changed the core finding that Airbnb rentals are related to higher crime rates in London neighbourhoods.”

Different types of rentals

Specifically, the number of robberies, burglaries, thefts, and violent crimes tends to rise in areas with a high density of short-term rental properties. The data models indicate that a 3.2% rise in all types of Airbnb rentals per year could lead to a 1% city-wide increase in robberies — approximately 325 additional robberies based on London’s 2018 figure of 32,500 recorded cases.

“Crime seems to go up as soon as Airbnbs appear, and stays elevated for as long as they are active,” said Lanfear.

But there’s an important nuance when it comes to the type of Airbnb listing, the researchers say. Entire properties rented out for short-term stays were much more likely to be associated with increased crime rates compared to spare rooms within a host’s home. This likely reflects the reduced presence of full-time residents who might otherwise act as deterrents to crime. When an entire property is listed on Airbnb, the homeowner or long-term tenant is absent, creating a vacancy that criminals might exploit.

In contrast, listings for spare rooms often involve the homeowner still living on-site, which means the property remains occupied, and the likelihood of a capable guardian being present increases. These subtle differences suggest that not all Airbnb properties have the same impact on neighborhood crime and that full-property rentals pose a greater risk.

It’s not the guests

While there have been instances of Airbnb guests engaging in antisocial behavior or vandalism, these incidents are rare relative to the sheer volume of Airbnb stays worldwide. The real issue lies in how the presence of short-term renters creates opportunities for crime to flourish.

Visitors staying in short-term rentals may be more likely to carry valuable items such as cameras, laptops, and smartphones, making them attractive targets for theft. Thieves may also be drawn to the perceived lower level of local vigilance in areas with transient populations. Ultimately, the researchers conclude much of this increase in crime comes from this type of opportunity.

“A single Airbnb rental can create different types of criminal opportunity,” said Lanfear. “An Airbnb rental can provide an easy potential victim such as a tourist unfamiliar with the area, or a property that is regularly vacant and so easier to burgle. A very temporary occupant may be more likely to cause criminal damage.”

“Offenders may learn to return to areas with more Airbnbs to find unguarded targets,” said Lanfear. “More dedicated Airbnb properties may mean fewer long-term residents with a personal stake in the area who are willing to report potential criminal activity.”

Important for local policy

Airbnb is already a contentious topic in urban policymaking. There is much debate over its effects on housing markets, neighborhood stability, and quality of life. As the platform rapidly expanded globally, cities began grappling with how to balance the potential advantages that Airbnb brings with rising concerns from residents and housing advocates.

Critics argue that Airbnb and similar short-term rental platforms contribute to housing shortages by converting long-term rental units into high-turnover accommodations, driving up rents, and reducing availability for local residents. Major cities like New York, Barcelona, and San Francisco have implemented or proposed strict regulations including caps on rental days, zoning restrictions, and registration requirements, to curb Airbnb’s impact on local communities.

In addition, while Airbnb can be a valuable source of income and tourism, unchecked growth in short-term rentals can destabilize communities, disrupt neighborhood cohesion, and exacerbate housing affordability issues. This new study only gives Airbnb critics more ammunition.

“While Airbnb offers benefits to tourists and hosts in terms of ease and financial reward, there may be social consequences to turning large swathes of city neighborhoods into hotels with little regulation,” Lanfear said.

Airbnb has taken steps to prevent crime, including some background checks as well as requirements for extended bookings on occasions popular for one-night parties, such as New Year’s Eve. “The fact that we still find an increase in crime despite Airbnb’s efforts to curtail it reveals the severity of the predicament,” said Kirk.

Some ways to address the problem

The study also suggests some healthy ways to regulate this, however. For instance, since entire homes and apartments are more closely associated with increased crime, limiting the number of days these properties can be rented out or imposing stricter licensing requirements may help mitigate their impact on neighborhoods.

“Short-term letting sites such as Airbnb create incentives for landlords that lead to property speculation, and we can see the effect on urban housing markets. We can now see that the expansion of Airbnb may contribute to city crime rates.”

“It is not the company or even the property owners who experience the criminogenic side effects of Airbnb, it is the local residents building their lives in the neighbourhood.”   

At the end of the day, it seems increasingly clear that in some areas, Airbnb properties can have far-reaching effects on neighborhood crime and stability.

The study was published in the journal Criminology.