Penn Criminology research links Airbnb rentals with higher crime rates in London

New research from Penn Criminology professor David Kirk and University of Cambridge’s Charles Lanfear suggests that Airbnb lettings may be associated with crime. 

The study, published in the journal “Criminology,” examines how Airbnb rentals influence crime rates across London — one of Airbnb’s largest markets — between 2014 and 2018. The researchers found a positive correlation between an increase in the number of Airbnbs available and an increase in theft, burglary, robbery, and violence. 

“The explanation has more to do with the altering criminal opportunities in those neighborhoods as opposed to the slow erosion of community cohesion and what criminologists call social control,” Kirk told Penn Today.

This research suggests that Airbnb…