Residents of idyllic Montana city - dubbed 'the most livable place' - say it's 'withering away' because they're being priced out by wealthy second home owners and vacation rentals
Bozeman, Montana, is considering a ban on short-term vacation lets like AirBnbs
Number of short-term rentals in the city have nearly doubled since 2020
Furious locals say the spike in second homeowners mean they can no longer afford to rent or buy in their own communities
When Terry Cunningham goes for his daily morning run in Bozeman, Montana, he passes dozens of cars and vans filled with passengers curled up asleep inside them.
In the evening, Cunningham - the city's deputy mayor - might visit a local restaurant and finds those same rough sleepers are actually his servers, cooks and bartenders.
Such is the severity of Bozeman's housing crisis that its workers have even been priced out of renting - never mind buying a home.
The problem, they say, is due to rising numbers of second homeowners who snap up properties in the stunning mountain city and then rent them out on vacation let sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Now, Bozeman is considering banning these platforms altogether.
And it is not alone - with the row over second homes being replicated in vacation hotspots all across the US.
Cunningham told Dailymail.com: 'Our local elementary school is seeing a decline in kids signing up because there are no families here permanently.
'Homes are disproportionately owned by retirees and investors - but they won't staff our workforce.'
Bozeman - which is famed for its national parks, white water rivers and snowy peaks - is among dozens of areas across the US calling for a crackdown on short-term vacation lets.
The full, comprehensive article by Helen can be found at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-12171483/Inside-city-torn-apart-Airbnb-Bozeman-Montana-withering-away-vacation-rentals.html
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