Why can’t I buy a home on Airbnb?

The headline caught our attention and made us think.

Airbnb is, after all, a lettings site. Could it become a sales site?

Furthermore, it is almost entirely a private lettings site. Could it become a private sales site?

Could it even list its properties on Rightmove and Zoopla?

In America, Airbnb has been in a partnership since last month with the huge portal realtor.com

Saying that Airbnb is “encouraging home ownership”, Realtor visitors have an option to select an “Airbnb before buying”.

If they click a tab on the Realtor website, they are able to look at short-term rental properties available on Airbnb.

The idea is that they book a stay in a neighbourhood where they are considering buying.

We wondered whether American realtors might have objected to what could easily be seen as a Trojan horse.

But it seems not.

A spokesperson for Realtor told EYE: “The realtor.com and Airbnb agreement is ongoing. The location and frequency of placements vary based on consumer behaviour and feedback.”

We asked Rightmove and Zoopla whether either had been contacted by Airbnb, and whether either would consider a similar arrangement.

A Rightmove spokesperson said there had been no contact. Zoopla acknowledged our request but has not yet otherwise responded.

However, back to that headline – it appeared over a piece that was not much more than a general criticism of the British home buying and selling process by someone who clearly hated every minute, including the problems he had with his conveyancer.

However, there are some interesting insights including: “It made me immediately wish I could buy a house online, with the convenience of a single click.”

And: “The UK housing market isn’t an easy task to fix, but I’m hopeful that an Airbnb or Uber for house purchasing will eventually exist here in the future. If it does, then I know where my money will be going the next time I’m involved in Britain’s broken house market.”