Airbnb law ‘Proposition F’ to limit rental time rejected in San Francisco

The measure was defeated by 55 per cent to 45 per cent

Greg Dickinson enjoys the Paris skyline from his Airbnb apartment (Victoria Wainwright)

San Francisco rejected a proposition which would have imposed restrictions on home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb after a summer of political campaign.

The measure, Proposition F, was defeated by 55 per cent to 45 per cent according to San Francisco’s election website.

The new rule aimed to limit the total of time a property could be rented to just 75 days a year, imposing severe fines for those breaking the rules.

Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty said the victory was made possible thanks to the members of the Airbnb community.

“This election was a victory for the middle class and it was made possible by the 138,000 members of the Airbnb community who had individual conversations with over 105,000 voters, knocked on 285,000 doors, including 55,000 today, and worked to generate support from more than 2,000 small, family-owned businesses in the city. This effort shows that home sharing is both a community and a movement,” Mr Nulty said in a blog post released after the ruling.

Aibnb spent $8 million on campaigning to overturn the proposal, recruiting more than 400 supporters to knock on doors, put up billboards and run TV ads.

For every minute of television commercials that aired in favour of Proposition F, there were 100 minutes of ads against the measure, according to BuzzFeedNews.

Public perception of Airbnb suffered after it put up controversial billboards with suggestions on what the city could do with the that tax Airbnb would have to pay. Residents took to social media to complain that the messages were passive aggressive, which lead the startup to apologise and remove the adverts.

Although today is a victory for the room-sharing service, difficult times might still lie ahead. According to tech and analysis website Re/code, Airbnb has demonstrated that it is willing to pour millions into political campaigns. While the battle in San Francisco is over, other cities might propose similar legislation and create new difficulties for the startup.

“Finally, we know members of the Airbnb home sharing movement around the world have been watching this campaign and we are excited to work with you to educate policymakers and community leaders in cities and towns around the world about the benefits of home sharing,” Mr Nulty said.