The high cost and low availability of rental homes in Bend, Oregon are worse than in America on average, yet the problem is universal. A Bend Bulletin article written by Suzanne Roig on March 3, explains that the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development predicted Deschutes County would have a 4 percent apartment vacancy rate while the current U.S. vacancy rate is around 6 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Essentially, as bad as the rental market is for tenants in Bend, it is only slightly worse than in the U.S. on average. The main factor this Bend Bulletin article and almost every other article is leaving out is how the global sharing economy companies Airbnb and Verbo are creating this outcome. Anyone can access these sharing economy services through their websites or mobile apps and see for themselves how many short-term rentals are available for rent in Bend and across the country in every single town and city in America. Ultimately, these are potential long-term ren...