Couple Rents Out Home Using Popular Website – and Returns to Something Almost Unimaginable

theblaze.com ^ | may 1, 2015 | jon street

[lowbridge]

The Kings rented out their Calgary, Alberta, home in Canada using the popular renting service Airbnb. They thought it would be an easy way to help offset the cost of their travel with their two kids, CTV reported.

They were wrong.

The Airbnb renters told the King family that only four people would be staying at the home while they attended a wedding. So on Saturday, they handed over the keys and were off on their trip. But it wasn’t long before they their neighbors called and sent them text messages, explaining that they were concerned about what was going on.

Later, a party bus showed up and an unknown number of people poured into the home. Police received at least three noise complaints in as many days and on Monday they were called to the house to respond to a fight taking place in the front yard.

The family returned home, while some of the apparent partiers were still there , to find their house completely trashed.

[BlackAdderess]

So, is the “sharing economy” as seen in the example given in this story a libertarian thing, or is it not a libertarian thing?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Doug Gansler.

[Focault's Pendulum]

I own lots of rental property and this sort of thing sometimes happens.

I used to.

[Rebel_Ace]

"So, is the “sharing economy” as seen in the example given in this story a libertarian thing, or is it not a libertarian thing?"

On the chance that you are asking this in good faith:

"Libertarians" believe in Property Rights and an Unregulated Enconomy.

So, what does that mean? It means if you have resources, such as property, lodging, transportation, meal delivery systems, whatever, you should be free to offer them on the open market for whatever price and terms the market will bear.

Example: You own a car, and would like to offer to transport people to places at fees you mutually agree upon.

Example: You own a beachfront home that you do not occupy all the time. You would like to rent it out to people at fees and terms you mutually agree upon.

Example: You are good at braiding hair. You would like to braid other people's hair at fees you mutually agree upon.

The Libertarian position is that you should be "AT LIBERTY TO DO SO". Hence the party name.

Additionally, the Libertarian position is that while you reap the REWARDS of engaging in commerce, you also ASSUME THE RISK.

So, a Libertarian would leave you free to explore various business models. Find something that works for you, great, make the profits and keep your money. Stumble and fall with an idea that is not so hot? Seek redress legally against those that have wronged you (as in the case of these low-life renters), or suck it up and try something else. But a Libertarian would not seek to enact laws to FORCE people to conform to some business model they wanted to execute. Those would be "rent seeking" "crony capitalists".

[rabidralph]

Obviously, they rented their home out to some Americans :-)

[varyouga]

So therefore we need full regulation and surveillance from those who are always “right”

[riri]

I rent from there quite frequently. I rented three places in Panama, three places last year in the Czech Republic and a place next month for three weeks in Florence. I really love it, especially in foreign cities that are expensive. I rented a place for a month in Stockholm for about the price of five nights in a hotel there.

I always leave the place cleaner than I found it.

It's also like any other site, you get reviews as a renter or a rentee.

[who knows what evil?]

Who rents out their home to strangers for three days?

Quite a few people in the Tri-Cities area of east Tennessee rent their homes out to NASCAR fans on 'race weekends'...pretty ballsy, considering what the sides of the roads look like on Monday.