Research Information System
ANKARA INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH-IX , Ankara, Turkey, 26 - 28 December 2023, vol.1, pp.66-67
The increasing number and scale of housing
units rented for tourism purposes through Airbnb, a short-term rental platform,
has led to debates on the platform's adverse impacts on housing markets. The
main reasons for these adverse impacts are considered to be (a) the increasing
commercialization and professionalization of the use of the platform and (b)
the existence of an environment of uncertainty at the legal level. Many cities
have enacted regulations against the platform following urban and social movements
against Airbnb. This study aims to analyze the evolution of regulations on
Airbnb as a short-term rental (STR) platform in Turkey and to reveal the
spatial implications of the Law No. 7464, titled "Renting of Houses for
Tourism Purposes and Amendments to Certain Laws". Although there were
regulations on short-term rentals in Turkey before the Airbnb platform became a
widespread phenomenon, these regulations were not developed directly for Airbnb.
They thus covered Airbnb's movement in cities in a vague and fragmented manner
(see Laws No. 3572, 5490, 1774). Following the fragmented treatment of
short-term rentals such as Airbnb in different laws, Law No. 7464 was adopted
on October 25, 2023. This law covers "provisions on the general principles
regarding the renting of dwellings for tourism purposes, the issuance of
permits, administrative sanctions and the legislation governing dwellings
rented for tourism purposes". To control the supply of homes rented
through Airbnb in cities and to prevent the commercialization and
professionalization of the platform, thereby reducing its negative effects on
the housing market (increasing in rental prices, decreasing in long-term
rentable housing stock, gentrification, displacement, etc.), the law envisages
to regulate the platform through three main categories: (i) permission
certificate, (ii) identity reporting, (iii) tax. In this context, the study
first discusses the term "tourism housing", which is mentioned in the
law for the first time, and then presents the possible spatial reflections of
these regulations. The spatial implications of the regulations and restrictions
introduced by the law that may affect different actors involved in the Airbnb
business model (Airbnb hosts, individual investors, companies, large capital
groups, etc.) in different ways are discussed through Istanbul with a political
economy approach. The study is considered to contribute to the literature in
terms of emphasizing the spatial dimension as a neglected aspect of the laws.
Keywords:
Short-Term Rentals (STRs), Housing Market, Short-Term Rental Regulations