Is there an ethical form of Air BnB?

[NotCamping]

Not camping or hostels. I’d rather go without a holiday than camp but I’d love to holiday in the UK and partly self cater because I love to frequent local butchers, bakeries, grocers etc and buy and cook local produce. However I usually stay in Bnbs and hotels where I can’t do this.

I don’t want to use Air BnB because it can be bad for the local community but it’d be nice for us(2-4 people) to occasionally get to cook and enjoy local produce.

Is there a more ethical version of Air BnB? Perhaps a site where people genuinely let out their home while they’re not using it?

I’d appreciate any suggestions.

TIA

I won’t use Air BnBs because as you say they are unethical. They decimate local housing and most people don’t pay tax on their earnings. Plus the decor is usually quite grim and tacky and when I want to go away I want to stay in a place which is as nice if not nicer than my own house.
I use National Trust holiday homes a lot. They are really well decorated and appointed and you are contributing something to the environment by using them, as they are custodians of massive areas of the countryside.

I think you've been unlucky with Air BnB. I've stayed in loads and they have been lovely. I also advertise on Air BnB and mine is lovely ( in my garden)

You realise that National Trust cottages are just cottages they own? They could rent them.out to local people too!

There have been holiday cottages in the UK for decades. An ' Air bnb' is just a holiday cottage.

Yes @Movinghouseatlast of course I know the National Trust own the cottages. I’m not sure who else would? The difference is they already own them and are not pricing locals out of the market like greedy local private landlords. They are all beautifully decorated and if there are any problems someone is on hand to sort it right away.
And yes there are grim hotels too, but they are easier to weed out than Air BnBs. I just don’t think the standard of decor of Air BnBs is great and like I say, I don’t really want to stay somewhere which isn’t as nice as my own home.

You aren't making sense. If you are concerned locals can't afford to live locally then ANY holiday cottage is unethical surely?

I think there is quite a difference between property which has been part of a national trust estate for centuries and in many cases can’t legally be sold off privately, and swarms of opportunistic landlords buying up homes which could be used by locals.

There's been an explosion in the holiday let market since Airbnb was established. It was started as a way for people to rent out rooms in their house - a step up from staying in a hostel dorm but cheaper than a B&B, but then morphed into a behemoth. You can tell how big their market share must be - you don't see threads on here telling people to 'Sykes' for the weekend.......

We like self catering on holiday but having seen the devastation caused locally by the sheer number of Airbnb properties we choose accommodation that wouldn't be suitable for long term rentals (above a garage, granny annexes, upgraded garden room).

The first time we used Airbnb we rented a tiny flat in Copenhagen. The owner decamped to stay with her parents for the week, leaving us to feed her cat, and with her vast collection of nail varnishes in the cheese storage section of the fridge! It was brilliant - reasonable price, home from home. Not like that anymore.

You're being a bit precious to be honest. Because if you're creating mess bin filling somewhere else. Then your council don't have to sort your refuse.

Wherever you go you create litter, use energy.

I live in North Norfolk which is one of the areas most affected by second home ownership and holiday lets. However rural holiday areas rely on self catering accommodation for jobs and businesses, they always done. These areas need holiday accommodation to support their economies. They wouldn’t be half as pleasant places to live without visitors.

Airbnb is just another bookings platform and tbh it seems to have encouraged more people to let properties (annexes etc) that would not be used for permanent accommodation which doesn’t take permanent homes.

have I? Off sick and in bed at the moment so I’m not really on the ball.

Oh ok. I am just basing my views on my experience which I think is ok.

I couldn’t and wouldn’t ever claim I have visited every single AirBnB.

I've stayed in loads of Airbnbs, many of which have been an annexe to the owners home or a stand alone cottage in their grounds. These are usually easy to find by using the filters and/or reading the property description. Caravans and lodges/ cabins are another alternative.

Exactly, Airbnb may be one of the things helping to keep a farming family afloat now the government is dragging its feet on subsidies.

I couldn’t say exactly @nootropiccoffee but enough to know they are not my thing. Perhaps I have just been unlucky. The worry about their impact on locals and some landlords not paying tax tipped me over the edge.

I’m very old!

Yes because when they first started they were one thing @nootropiccoffee and they have now became something quite different.

My sister lives in a tourist hotspot in Cornwall. If it makes you feel better, plenty of locals own second homes they rent out to tourists.

Sometimes the ethical acrobatics on MN verge on the amusing.