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Dear Editor,
Please ensure that Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, sees this letter. Left up to him, all available rental properties in Antigua and Barbuda would be converted into short-term rentals for visitors.
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What Gaston must understand is that one of the biggest challenges facing residents today is the availability of affordable homes for rent. Please place this at the top of your agenda, Mr. Prime Minister, as failure to address it may prove to be a hindrance to securing a fourth term in government. Yes, it is that serious.
Already, too many properties that should be available for long-term rentals for residents are now out of the rental pool. What is concerning is that at every opportunity, you continue to encourage residents to “invest” in Airbnb-type rentals.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that call, but it is increasingly reckless.
My view is that you do not fully understand the implications. This shift has led to a major shortage of rental homes, and as a result, prices have skyrocketed. The homes that are available are either in a dilapidated condition or simply out of the budget of renters.
For example, the cheapest home available for monthly rent on Airbnb works out to approximately US$1,200.
Renters, based on the average income in Antigua, typically look for homes between EC$850 and EC$1,500 per month.
Other homes may be rented to middle- to high-income earners for EC$3,000 to EC$6,000 monthly through realtors. Even then, availability, value for money, and cost remain major factors contributing to what is already a rental crisis in the country.
In the 2026 Budget, and in fact throughout 2025, no policy was mentioned by the Gaston Browne administration outlining how it plans to tackle this crisis. Disappointingly, no opposition MP raised the issue either.
This suggests that they do not have their ears to the ground.
Much was said about housing, but nothing about rent.
Every government knows that solving a housing problem requires a mix of homeownership and affordable rental options.
My feeling is that the Gaston Browne government wants to build as many homes as possible to flood the housing market.
This approach will not work. First, these homes take a long time—from bank approval to construction and completion.
I personally know people who have been waiting three years for approved homes.
Second, most people build homes to live in, not to rent. Third, homes that do enter the rental market typically end up as short-term rentals.
We need short-, medium-, and long-term rental solutions.
Gaston wants residents to profit from short-term rentals, and there is nothing wrong with encouraging people to increase their wealth. However, while he may be solving a problem on one hand, he is creating—or worsening—a crisis on the other.
The government must act now.
Internationally, citizens in Mexico, Colombia, Barcelona, and New York know all too well the negative impact short-term rentals have had on rent prices.
Residents in these places have protested and demanded action, forcing governments to regulate the short-term rental market.
In some cities, no new short-term rentals are being approved. Others have mandated that a certain percentage of properties must be reserved for long-term rentals.
Here, we are moving in the opposite direction.
A quick search of ANR’s website brings up no fewer than ten news articles in the past year in which the Prime Minister encourages residents to invest in short-term rentals. He has never once mentioned local rent prices.
Perhaps what Antigua needs, particularly in St. John’s City, is a series of high-rise buildings offering long-term rental units for residents. This would require a public-private partnership.
Legislation must also be enforced to address rent control and affordability.
Take note—this will be one of the major concerns for residents in 2026.
This letter was written by a supporter of Gaston Browne not the ABLP. I am also open to voting/supporting the UPP when they find proper leadership.
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During the pandemic, everybody was preaching “Choice”, and people should have the choice to do what they want with their own body when it came to taking the vaccine. The UPP even ran the last election with ‘Choice’ being one of their platforms.
So if someone go to the bank and invest their own money and sacrifice to build a property, how can this writer or even the PM command people what to do with their own property, and who they should rent it to, whether it be locals or on AirBnB?
No one should want to blame a property owner for trying to get the most money they can out of their OWN property that they invest in.
Anybody that selling their car will sell it to whoever offer them the most money, whether it’s a local or a non-national. Plain and simple.
Building a property very expensive in Antigua under this government. So someone can’t expect to get cheap rent when building costs and insurance costs so high. How do they expect the person who invested in the property to make money of the rent is cheap? Make that make sense writer.
I agree wit the writer that this is a thing government should look into and dealt wit.
However people can’t expect somebody to build a house that cost $400,000 and turn round rent it for $800 a month. That not to happen cause everybody ah try mek money right now
If rent control is introduced it would take money out of politicians pockets along with their supporters and the enrich yourself followers on both sides. There’s no care or concern for our community and society in general as long as your not killing anyone it’s not seen as harmful. But what happen to honest , ethical business practices. Everyone wants to get rich quick, following the example of our dear leader. I don’t have a problem with new construction costing higher rent but if you look at the landscape houses that are as old as 20-30 years old are being rented for high prices as if they are new construction. Rent control is needed to protect the working class , in order for people to earn their way out of poverty. Stable controlled cost of living must exist for this to happen.
I have also looked back into the Prime Minister’s comments on encouraging short-term rentals that favours the tourism industry.
Yes, there is a fine balance between housing the indigenous population for the long-term and accommodating tourists.
That’s why when the ABLP (especially, Minister Maria Bird-Browne) promised to address the housing shortages in their – last two – Election manifesto, the electorate believed them that it would be resolved to counteract short-term rentals from the likes of Airbnb that have gone on to create unaffordable rents, as we witness today.
I endorse everything said in this letter.
I see some of the writer’s perspective, and @Is like people want to ….I also get your drift!
Markets tend to balance out themselves.
The Air BnB Market is causing not just the long term housing market, but the Short Term All Inclusive posh hotel market.
Air BnB brings revenues for the local food, restaurants and transportation industry, as well.
The writer speaks to policy’s through the parliament to find, create and hold a balance, and as the writer mentions of other developing Nations attemp to manage this crisis, because the crisis of affordable housing is hitting many countries and communities hard.
Maybe, instead of giving so much incentives to hotel developers who’ve being found wanting of not keeping a larger portion of their profits circulating in the local economy, then the Parliament can embark upon or further those incentives in place to encourage investments in long term rentals, by offering longer grace periods on taxes, help with infrastructure development (roads, sewer. utilities).
…no matter, what we do or say,
…at, the end of the day!
…these three basic staples of life
…food, shelter, clothing
..,still comes into play!
Jumbee Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg 🦶🏾Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
Antigua for years have tried to follow the major cities economy, ones like NY, LA and others, and it just cannot work, it will cripple the locals.
While GB has stretched his economic portfolio wide and far in his own investments, by renting some of his properties back to his own government( which have a steady stream of income by the way) he must understand that the residents of Antigua are not in such positions to pay as the government does.
That’s all this writer is alluding to.
You must strike a balance and see the economy from the eyes of the people who are the backbone of the island. Yes while some may make big money from rental properties and such, that’s not the majority of the people. The majority or the people are the ones that lives from pay check to pay, check, not by any fault of their own, but by the standard of living that is offered by their very own economy.
So who is looking out for these people to keep a roof over their heads.
The man is asking for a little help, and if we can’t see that as people, and all we can see is the ” green”,well then the big life that we are trying to follow from other big foreign cities, will continue to suffocate us.
Again, Antigua is not LA or NY. Humble y’all selves and try to help one another. These cities are cut throat cities. You are either in, or you’re out..
The fringe economy has to be stamped out in Antigua..it’s too suffocating.
This is a very real snowballing issue. In our society, homelessness used to be for crackheads, bums and the mentally challenged. Today, there is a growing number of young, working people sleeping in old cars and abandoned buildings.The shame is too great. We have to do better.
People are not asking for landlords to rent at losses. They are simply asking for properties to be rented fairly and according to their condition. An old board house should not be rented at the same price as a newly built concrete house.
The nation is simply crying out against blatant greed and disregard for the implications on our future society as a whole. Let’s not get started with the crime….
In every situation there are great opportunities. If everyone is seeing an issue with Airbnb then here you are, go to the bank borrow some money and fulfill the mong term rental.
In covid lots of business birthed.
Go to the bank, borrow some money, do the math’s and see how much you can rent for
I don’t blame any homeowner for trying to get the most out of their property. The system does not protect home owners and in fact, the court system takes a long time to actually evict a tenant and claim the debt owed.
One place to start is completely prohibiting the rental of “affordable homes”. I personally know of houses in piggotts area (housing development) on Airb&b for over ec$5000 p/m!!!!
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