Skift Take
With its latest public policy efforts, Airbnb is inching toward legitimacy by being more willing to share information with cities. But is this enough to appropriately address the real issues, and will cities be willing to meet them halfway?
In two of Airbnb's biggest markets in the United States — San Francisco and New York City — the short-term rental giant is progressing with its efforts to address the issue of regulations, especially as the company, currently valued at $31 billion, continues on its path towards an initial public offering.
In its hometown of San Francisco, Airbnb and its fellow home-sharing platform HomeAway, today announced they have settled their suit with the city, agreeing to automatically register all local hosts in the city in compliance with short-term rental laws that went into effect in 2014.
And in New York City, Airbnb's largest market in the U.S., New York State assembly member Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) sponsored legislation over the weekend that would fundamentally change the city's current Multiple Dwelling Law regarding short-term rentals.
Speaking about Airbnb's settlement with the city of San Francisco, Airbnb Head of Public Policy Chris Lehane said, during a press conference call, "For us it's really, really important that we continue to put these kinds of partnerships in place. We fundamentally do believe that platforms need to take responsibility."
San Francisco Lawsuit Settled, But Still Needs Approval
In San Francisco, Airbnb and HomeAway's federal lawsuit against the city's short-term rental regulation laws has been settled, according to City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
The agreement stipulates that Airbnb and HomeAway will work with the city to automatically register all hosts who use their platforms to rent out their homes, in accordance with short-term rental laws that originally went into effect in February 2015.
A major part of that law stipulated that all vacation rental hosts in the city must register with the city's Office of Short-Term Rentals and obtain a business license to do so. However, since the law went into effect, only 26 percent of all hosts (2,100 out of an estimated 8,000) have actually gone through the proper government channels to get registered and to obtain a business license.
Airbnb said the automatic host registration will work via a "pass-through registration" system similar to the ones the company has already developed to register hosts in cities that include New Orleans and Chicago. Information passed along to the city's Office of Short-Term Rentals will include only the hosts' names, addresses, and zip codes, and will only be submitted with the consent of the hosts to avoid any conflicts r
