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Airbnb comes to agreement with SF to register all hosts

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High Priestess
Administrator

Posts: 9,110
Gender: Both and all -- I like all the choices!

Airbnb comes to agreement with SF to register all hosts May 2, 2017 1:26:29 GMT

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Post by High Priestess on May 2, 2017 1:26:29 GMT

I just heard the news -- Airbnb has come to an agreement with the city of San Francisco, to ensure that all Airbnb hosts in that city are registered as the city requires. Airbnb will create a way for hosts to register with the city through the Airbnb website. No one will be able to list a short term rental without registering...the structure for this is to be completed by Sept 2017 and all hosts will need to be registered by Jan 2018.

While this resolves the contention between Airbnb and SF, I believe this is very much a move in the wrong direction, to allow the government to run part of the website of a private corporation. However, I also think that if Airbnb has agreed to do this in SF, other cities will follow suit and this is likely to eventually be the arrangement in most cities.

www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/technology/airbnb-san-francisco-settle-registration-lawsuit.html

techcrunch.com/2017/05/01/airbnb-settles-lawsuit-with-san-francisco/

www.reuters.com/article/us-airbnb-sanfrancisco-settlement-idUSKBN17X254

www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airbnb-san-francisco-20170501-story.html

www.sfexaminer.com/sf-reaches-settlement-airbnb-short-term-rental-rules/

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-01/airbnb-seeks-peace-with-new-york-and-san-francisco-officials

www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/05/01/airbnb-san-francisco-settlement-regulations-illegal-homeaway/101168688/

helgaparis
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Posts: 676

Airbnb comes to agreement with SF to register all hosts May 2, 2017 8:47:22 GMT via mobile

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Post by helgaparis on May 2, 2017 8:47:22 GMT

France law changed to allow towns of more thsn 200.000 inhabitants to force hosts to register their flats with the town, to allow it to control the 120 day rule, which existed for eternities.
Interesting detail, in the struggle with airbnb, airbnb offered an automatic block after 120 days as they do in London. And interestingly, according to 3 different French newspapers, they offered also to indicate hosts to the town, who try to / go over the limit, as they also do in London.
Never heard that before.
No specifics to be found, if they meant companies, who ask airbnb for exemption of the limit, claiming to be entitled to that, or if they tell on hosts getting creatively around the law.