Activists Unite Against Airbnb in Mexico City

The Government of Mexico City signed an agreement with the temporary rental company Airbnb to promote creative tourism and the activity of digital nomads, however, organizations and individuals strongly disagree with the decision.

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51 organizations and 832 people refuted the decision, in statement, of promoting the commercialization of the Historic Center of the Mexican capital, as it is of no benefit to its inhabitants, in addition to it attacking the understanding of housing as a human right.

"The agreement replicates and gives government support to a business model that has caused havoc in other cities around the world. It is a harsh blow against those of us who have fought for legislation that considers housing as a human right and not as a mere commodity," said the non-conformists in a statement.

"The reality for the inhabitants of the Historic Center and a good part of Mexico City is the increase in rents for different sectors of society: an entire generation of young people who are growing up without labor rights and who are not subject to credit, indigenous populations who continue to struggle to have their roots in the capital recognized, elderly people who are evicted or violently dispossessed through fraudulent lawsuits," they denounced.

The Airbnb platform, a participant in the agreement with the capital authorities, is one of the actors that exacerbates these problems, the protesters claimed, affecting both the middle class and popular sectors.

They also accused that tenants have been expelled to give territory to tourism and pointed out the case of at least eight buildings where they have been displaced to benefit Airbnb.

"Currently the Airbnb offer is dominated by actors who accumulate up to hundreds of living spaces. Without a clear regulation that puts a limit to Airbnb and similar platforms, financial speculation will end up devouring the already few affordable spaces for rent," they abounded.

The agreement between the transnational company and the Mexican capital is a use of public resources to generate added value for the benefit of the private sector, through the appearance of beautifications accessible to all, when in reality they generate concentrations of profits and damage to the right to housing, according to the communiqué.

"Other cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, New York have been forced to take drastic measures against the temporary housing market. We are concerned that in CDMX such decisions are taken lightly, hiding vices and dangers well known by specialists, and without consulting at any time with its inhabitants," they added.

In their communiqué, they made seven demands: the diagnosis and evaluation of Airbnb's impact; suspend collaboration; take into account legislation in this regard in other cities; effective taxation of the platform; legislative defense in the local Congress of the inhabitants of the country's capital; a tenant law to counteract speculation, and the return of displaced families.