Proposition F, a measure to increase restrictions on short-term rentals, has failed in the City of San Francisco. While not specifically targeting Airbnb, the company spent close to $8 million to defeat the initiative that would have placed even more restrictions on short-term rentals in the city.
Current law requires hosts to register with the Office of Short-Term Rental Administration and Enforcement and caps the number of days that a host may offer a unit as a short-term rental. Hosts are limited to a maximum of 90 days a year, unless the host also resides in the unit during that period. Also, the law requires hosts to maintain liability insurance to cover the use of the unit as a short-term rental.
Proposition F would have allowed the city to enforce penalties and/or fines for both hosts and online platforms for failing to comply with the city's registration program. As part of the registration process, a host would have to submit proof that the owner of the residence authorized the use of the unit as a short-term rental. Additionally, the measure reduced the number of permissible days to 75 days a year, whether a host was present or not, and required the host to submit quarterly reports to the city.
Source: Huffington Post; City and County of San Francisco