After winning the battle over San Francisco’s Proposition F, Airbnb strikes a conciliatory tone.
Airbnb’s battle to win the hearts of voters in San Francisco is over, but the war has yet to be won. With that seemingly in mind, leaders of the home-sharing company have taken a rather conciliatory tone in the days following the sound victory against San Francisco’s Proposition F.
Proposition F, one of the most contentious issues on the Nov. 3 ballot, sought to place limits on the home-sharing market in hopes of protecting the city’s already strapped housing inventory from further loss of availability. The measure would have limited short-term rentals to 75 days a year while requiring host companies, such as Airbnb, to pull adds related to properties in violation of the law. It would have also paved the way for neighbors to file lawsuits against those who didn’t meet the provisions of the law.
Voters rejected Proposition F 55% to 45%, paving the way for continued operation of Airbnb and similar businesses without new restrictions. News of the failure was welcomed not only by Airbnb, but also homeowners who use the service to supplement their incomes. The anti-F campaign drew grassroots support from its local user base with many going door to door to demonstrate “that home sharing is both a community and a movement,” Christopher Nulty, Airbnb spokesman, said in a post-election statement.
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Proponents of the measure staged a post-election gathering where the victory of Aaron Peskin’s campaign for the Board of Supervisors was celebrated. That victory, proponents hope, will ultimately pave the way for the supervisors to tighten vacation-rental rules courtesy of renewed strength in the board’s progressive wing.
Perhaps realizing the single victory doesn’t mean an end to its issues, Airbnb followed up its win at the polls with the release of a “community compact.” In it, the home-sharing company pledges it will ensure users pay their fair share of hotel taxes. It also has promised to publish reports on the impact and scale of its business on the local level. Those promises, however, only extend to “places that respect the right for people to share their home.”
In housing-strapped markets, such as San Francisco and New York, the company has extended another olive branch of sorts. The compact promises Airbnb’s commitment to “work with our community to help prevent short-term rentals from impacting the availability and cost of permanent housing for city residents.”
Whether the compact will be enough to placate those who fear home-sharing firms like Airbnb are limiting resident access to housing remains to be seen. The company, however, seems serious about its need to clarify rules for its community.
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