New research shows that the growth of Airbnb properties in New York City residential neighborhoods is associated with fewer noise complaints. However, this average effect doesn't rule out cases of increased noise under certain conditions.
The research, led by Gorkem Turgut (G.T.) Ozer, assistant professor of decision sciences at the UNH Peter T. Paul School of Business and Economics, challenges one of the most common negative perceptions associated with the growth of peer-to-peer home-sharing platforms in urban areas.
Working with researchers from Nanyang Technological University and George Mason University, Ozer found a decline in noise complaints from when Airbnb entered New York City in 2007 to 2019. The study, published in Information Systems Research, one of the top journals in business and information systems, found that this decrease in noise complaints was particularly pronounced when the occupancy rate of Airbnb rentals was lower and in areas with multiple tourist attractions, suggesting that the decrease in complaints was driven by limited physical occupancy of residential units.
"The main reason we're seeing these declines is that it's not traditional home sharing anymore; it's probably investors buying residential properties and listing them as Airbnb," Ozer says. "That's why the occupancy rates are estimated to be less than 50%. These places are empty more than half the time, likely during the winter in New York City, which brings the average down because you can't get noise out of an empty apartment."
