What's happening:
On October 27th, 2014 the SF Mayor (Lee) signed an Ordinance (No. 218-14) to allow some SF residential properties to conduct short-term residential rentals (less than 30 days). This will legalize hosting on Airbnb for some hosts in SF. This law goes into effect February 1st, 2015 at which point eligible hosts that properly register with the city will be sanctioned to conduct short-term residential rentals. This legislation applies to hosts within the SF City/County limits (SF City and County limits are the same). The complete definition of eligible hosts can be found here, in addition to information regarding the registration process, which does not begin until February 2nd. Airbnb also has a Help article that has a section dedicated to this process.
In order to support SF hosts with this process, the Firestarter team is sending out an email.
Registration will take place in person, by appointment. To make an appointment hosts must call 415-575-9179 after Monday, January 26th. Applications must be filed in person by the permanent resident whose name will appear on the registry. Applications can be downloaded online or picked up in person. The fee for the initial application is $50.00 and registration will remain valid for two years. Hosts must also obtain a valid business registration certificate in order to register, directions for which can be found here.
If a CX Agent feels that this article is insufficient, please email wyatt.hayman@airbnb.com and he will update accordingly. Please do not share this email address with any hosts/guests - this email is for internal use only. Thank you!
Here’s the content of the email: pending final revision (will update when final version is approved)
Subject Line: Hosting in San Francisco
Dear <NAME>,
Last year, the city of San Francisco adopted new regulations enabling San Franciscans to share their homes. We're proud of this new legislation, which was the result of many community meetings, hearings, and work sessions that involved hosts like you telling your stories and urging the city to embrace home sharing.
This new legislation will require you to register with the city and obtain a permit. It goes into effect on February 1st, 2015.
To get your permit, you'll need to meet with the city's Planning Department. To schedule an appointment, call 415-575-9179 after Monday, January 26th. More information about this process is available at San Francisco's new Short Term Rental Registry page.
Every host's situation is unique, and we're sure you have lots of questions. You can expect to hear from us in the following weeks with more information. In the meantime, we recommend reviewing our updated San Francisco Responsible Hosting resource page.
Thank you,
The Airbnb Team
Who’s impacted? / Rollout plan
This impacts all hosts with listings in San Francisco.
The email will either go out today (Weds Jan 21) or Thursday (Jan 22) - we'll let you know when it's live. Firestarters will be hosting in person town hall meetings first week of feb. Firestarters will be calling the majority of our San Francisco hosts reaching out asking them if they have questions/providing additional info. More detailed update to come at end of this week.
User issues:
Gov relations:: Hosting legality
Tax:: San Francisco
Available macros:
We'll be taking a look at traffic and if there's a need for CX macros. Stay tuned, and if you see a need, make a Content Request in Lantern.
Help articles:
Provided by Airbnb: LINK TO SF Responsible hosting page on Airbnb
Provided by City of San Francisco:
LINK TO SF Planning Commision explanation of how to register
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