When traveling to San Francisco in 2013, historian Ana Paula Gaspar had her first contact with short-term rental app Airbnb, as a guest. Keen on discovering new adventures and meeting people, she decided to become a host herself in 2014, upon returning to Brazil. Five years and three properties later, short-term rentals have become not only a cultural experience for Ms. Gaspar, but also an alternative source of income that pays her own rent.
Ms. Gaspar’s case is an example of how the phenomenon of short-term rentals has gone from a novelty to an important...
