When government policymakers talk about regulating short-term rentals as a way to improve housing affordability, many think about $ABNB and $EXPE (owner or Vrbo) as being the most affected by these laws, along with their hosts and customers.

But according to the Cato Institute, there are more people that are negatively impacted by these regulations. Many hosts that live in areas that don't receive any benefits from their city's tourism industry are able to earn income from travelers looking for a cheap to stay. Seniors reap more income by renting out rooms to those same people. Small businesses see more business as travelers spend more at restaurants and shops.

From SF to Washington D.C., many rely on the income from Airbnb to pay their mortgages and other bills. It's a similar situation to the many workers that rely on ridesharing and food delivery gigs through $UBER $LYFT $GRUB and $DASH to pay their bills. Without these "share economy" and "gig economy" platforms, many Americans will have to eat through their assets before they go broke.

While there are research papers that have found short-term rentals to be a driving force for the price of rent, higher rents incentivize firms to build more housing supply. However, zoning laws have prevented firms from building more housing. In fact, there is research that points out that zoning laws have contributed immensely to the rising cost of housing in the SF Bay Area.

Thoughts?