wagyl wrote:Reports that he received a number of warnings do make it surprising that the guy continued to let his place out, but I think it is a stretch to say that the place is a death trap, any more than a dinky little place I am aware of near Yoyogi is.
No, certainly I don't have evidence that it was specifically a deathtrap. But the tendency for lodgings to be deathtraps is exactly one of the reasons that most governments worldwide regulate hotels. Most societies seem to say it's better to enforce standards in that area than leave it up to individual operators. Same way we issue driver's licenses, restaurant licenses, etc. Obviously the regulation is far from perfect, and plenty of things go wrong anyway (food poisoning, idiotic drivers, etc.). But I think it would be a stretch to say that the regulation doesn't significantly increase safety.
This one guy saying "I'm special; I don't need to be regulated like all these other hotels" is just an asshole. My guess is that (especially given his comment about super low prices) part of his shtick was also being specially cheap about providing for the safety of his guests. But it's just a guess. Without him becoming licensed, we will never know if his lodging was safe or not, and that's the problem.
Regarding airbnb I don't know much about it and don't have much of an opinion (there seem to be pros and cons) but
wagyl wrote:(My personal view is that it is nothing like a hotel and everything like a rental, only the lease is for 5 days not 730 days.)
Sorry to go back to fire safety again, and I'm speaking of the U.S. specifically, but rentals don't come supplied with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. When I move into a rental, I bring that stuff with me. When I check into a hotel, I tend not to pack those in my suitcase. I rest a bit easier knowing the government at least makes an attempt to make sure the lodging operator has them in working condition.