For years, housing has been an ATM for investors, thanks to policies that look the other way. The solution lies in attacking two fronts: empty houses gathering dust and short-term rentals draining the residential market. It's not magic, it's common sense and regulation.
How technology enables tracking empty flats and temporary uses 🏠
Cross-referencing data from the land registry, municipal registers, and tourist rental platforms makes it possible to detect homes without regular use. Systems like the Residential Occupancy Index, powered by AI, cross-reference water and electricity consumption with traveler records. This identifies fraud and applies tax surcharges to owners who keep properties idle. Technology is no longer an excuse for inaction.
The Airbnb on the corner: a great deal, a dead neighborhood 🏘️
The neighbor on the fifth floor has put his apartment up for temporary rent. Now more people come through than in a metro station, but no one knows who lives there. Tourists arrive with a suitcase and leave without knowing where the supermarket is. Meanwhile, the neighborhood's young people move to the suburbs. A great deal for the owner, a neighborhood losing its soul. But hey, at least the street smells like disinfectant.