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Short‑term rentals office: ~1,500 certificates issued, enforcement ongoing as city weighs platform obligations
Summary
The Office of Short‑Term Rentals reported about 2,000 applications and about 1,500 certificates issued; enforcement has opened 609 cases, issued violations for 243 units and $760,000 in penalties to hosts. Staff urged data sharing with platforms to streamline compliance while litigation over new platform obligations proceeds.
Kevin Guy, director of the City’s Office of Short‑Term Rentals, briefed the Planning Commission on July 14 with an update on registrations, compliance and enforcement under the short‑term rental ordinance.
Guy said the office has received nearly 2,000 applications for short‑term rental certificates and issued roughly 1,500 certificates. He said processing times have improved, with complete applications typically processed within three to four weeks. The office reported 609 enforcement cases opened, 243 dwelling units cited in notices of violation, about $760,000 in penalties issued to hosts and approximately $200,000 collected in penalties to date.
Staff described categories of listings that explain the gap between scraped platform listings and registrations: about 18% of listings appear to be full‑time vacation rentals or hosts renting more than the allowed nights; 7% are multi‑property hosts; another 23% appear dormant; and a smaller share are long‑term rentals or hotels advertising on platforms. Guy said these categories explain much of the delta between scraped listing counts (Airbnb: about 8,440 listings in June) and registered hosts (~6,500 hosts on Airbnb data).
The office has issued notices of violation to hosting platforms for failing to notify users about local registration requirements, and staff said they are using web scraping to prioritize enforcement. Guy urged the city and platforms explore data sharing to allow online registration and better ongoing compliance monitoring.
The Board of Supervisors passed amendments that would require verification of registered status by platforms and monthly monitoring by the city; implementation has been delayed by litigation and a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for September.
Next steps: the office will continue outreach, refine online tools and coordinate with the Board and city attorneys on platform‑related amendments and litigation.
