Most Airbnb listings are entire houses

[KamaAina]

http://www.48hills.org/2015/11/02/most-airbnb-listings-are-entire-houses/

While protesters occupied Airbnb’s headquarters at lunchtime today, the latest data shows that the vast majority of units rented out through the company are not rooms in apartments or flats but are entire buildings.

InsideAirbnb reports that as of Nov. 1, 57.4 percent of the San Francisco listings on the site were entire houses or apartments.

More than 75 percent of them had “high availability,” meaning more than 90 nights a year.

That strongly suggests that a majority of the units listed this week on Airbnb violate the city’s existing law – which, the evidence shows, clearly can’t be enforced:

[arcane1]

1. Is it Election Day yet??????

[KamaAina]

2. Polls open in about 15 hours

Go get 'em, Tiger! I just thought of a great slogan we could have used: "Give Airbnb an F!" Could you make that go viral overnight?

[arcane1]

3. Good one! n/t

[daredtowork]

5. I'm praying for SF voters to take a larger view of their community

and kick those house-stealing tax evaders in their arrogant ass.

Happy to oblige any deity and/or secular faith in natural and civil law.

Hope the market rate moratorium for the Mission happens as well. Build low income housing NOW!

[KamaAina]

6. I have an idea how to expand SF's housing supply

Flood areas like the Sunset and Richmond with Muni, and legalize conversions of the garages that will no longer be needed. A similar plan might work in Berkeley, based on an idea I saw way back for a Berkeley-run "B-Line" to supplement AC Transit.

edit: Found it! https://berkeleytransit.wordpress.com/

[arcane1]

7. That would also make it easier to get to and from those areas.

For such a small city, some places can surely be a pain in the ass to get to.

[daredtowork]

9. Thank you sooo much for that reference!

Like Oakland, Berkeley is trying to solve housing problems by offering more gifts to market rate developers: the powers that be are all about eliminating parking requirements. The vision of a car-free Berkeley is lovely, but AC Transit sucks so much, this plan isn't viable. Once more a cabal of "visionary" urban planners (SPUR) has enthralled the "environmentally conscious" rich by literally throwing the poor under the bus.

The elderly and disabled? Families with young children? Low income workers who are forced to commute from the outer suburbs because of ridiculous housing prices in Berkeley? Tourists who drive to Berkeley as a destination? People who have to drive to get to the nearest BART station? People who need trucks for work? Where are they all going to park? We can't punish these poor and working class people for their dependence on cars. We need to build up a convenient and reliable public transportation first.

[KamaAina]

10. But looking at a map of The City, there don't seem to be many good routes

west of Twin Peaks. Which is why I suppose the Metro tunnels were dug in the first place.

[arcane1]

8. The "Vote 1-2-3 to Replace Ed Lee!" Facebook page has over 11,000 followers

I'm hoping that number actually means something!

[KamaAina]

13. It'd be better if it were 18,181

[JimDandy]

4. This is really disgusting.

I hope all of those landlords get caught.

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. Is VRBO evil too?

Just wondering because I use VRBO when I travel to NM. I like to rent casitas as opposed to hotels and B&Bs

[KamaAina]

12. Haven't heard as much about them

perhaps because they're not bankrolling a huge campaign to defeat a ballot initiative aimed at reining them in, as Airbnb is doing in SF. As far as I know, VRBO is staying truer to the original model of letting people rent their places out while they're away.

[PasadenaTrudy]

14. The houses I've stayed in

Are people's vacation/second home.