Rental Housing Crisis Cape Town

Jenny sent a message to Patricia de Lille.

To
Patricia de Lille
From
Jenny
Subject
Rental Housing Crisis Cape Town
Date
July 17, 2025, 9:51 a.m.
I would like to know how and when you are going to address the growing rental accommodation crisis in Cape Town, largely impacted by the explosion of Airbnb/Booking.com properties in recent years. The situation has become untenable. I know dozens of residents (myself included) who are facing rental increases in excess of 20% this winter in a bid to remain living in their current rentals, directly as a result of the competition in the market from Airbnb rentals. The government should be looking to cities like Barcelona, where short-term tourist rentals are being phased out, with a deadline to eliminate all licensed tourist apartments by 2028. Capetonians are facing the same crisis, if not worse, and, Patricia, you are responsible for allowing the situation to reach crisis point, having signed an MoU with Airbnb in recent years, further exacerbating the problem. It is extremely concerning for locals, and I believe residents of the city need to take action to prevent being further exploited.

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