Board moves to hold hosting platforms accountable for short‑term rental registration; ordinance passes as amended

An ordinance aimed at compelling online hosting platforms (for example, Airbnb and similar services) to verify that units they list are registered with the city's short‑term rental registry passed the Board of Supervisors on June 7, 2016, as amended.

Sponsor Supervisor David Campos described the measure as a modest effort to “preserve San Francisco’s stock” of long‑term housing by making hosting platforms accountable for listing unregistered units. Campos said the city had received approximately 1,800 applications under the registration program and that Airbnb alone had “taken up to 2,000 entire units of housing, completely off the market,” citing a budget‑analyst finding.

The City Attorney advised the board that the ordinance was drafted to avoid conflicts with the federal Communications Decency Act by regulating the business activities of booking services rather than the user‑generated content those services host.

Supervisor Weiner offered and the board adopted technical and administrative amendments directing the Office of Short‑Term Rentals to streamline the registration process and to report back with recommendations within 45 days on how to increase registration and simplify procedures; Weiner’s amendment passed without objection. The ordinance as amended passed (roll call recorded as 10 ayes in the transcript) and was described on the record as a first‑reading passage.

Why it matters: The ordinance shifts enforcement focus to the platforms themselves, not just individual hosts, and imposes penalties and reporting requirements intended to increase registration compliance and preserve housing stock.

Next steps: The Office of Short‑Term Rentals will be directed to issue regulations to simplify registration and to report to the board with recommendations; further implementation and enforcement details will be produced by the city attorney’s office and the enforcement agency.