This house is not a home: what alternative uses of private dwellings–and our reactions to them–tell us about housing in the 21st century city

Particularly in cities with growing populations, the use of private dwellings for purposes other than as homes often triggers public displeasure, followed swiftly by regulatory responses. A prominent recent example is the... [ view full abstract ]

Particularly in cities with growing populations, the use of private dwellings for purposes other than as homes often triggers public displeasure, followed swiftly by regulatory responses. A prominent recent example is the debate occurring in cities worldwide over the regulation of Airbnb. As with Airbnb, the issues raised regarding non-home use of private dwellings fall into two broad categories–concerns about the market impact (i.e. the effect on housing access), and concerns about the amenity impact (i.e. the effect on enjoyment of housing).

These concerns reflect our collective understanding of the social and economic role of private dwellings as the dominant housing type in post-industrial Western cities. Regulatory responses either reinforce or challenge this collective understanding, but rarely trigger meaningful debate over our attitudes towards private dwellings as a privileged built form, and whether they are–or should be–changing over time. This paper outlines the theoretical framework and preliminary findings of an ongoing research project examining these attitudes by studying non-home uses of private dwellings in Sydney and Melbourne. It outlines the key discourses that underpin public and policy responses, and explores how closely these responses are aligned with measurable market and amenity impacts. Three categories of non-home use are considered: (i) short-term letting via Airbnb; (ii) vacancy of speculative investment properties; and (iii) use of private dwellings as boarding houses. By documenting the market and amenity impacts of these uses, the project provides a basis for more meaningful critical analysis of current (and possible future) policy responses to this phenomenon.