The short-term rental company Airbnb made waves when it announced that it will start collecting San Francisco's 14 percent hotel tax from its guests in the city. And while this may be a first step in assuaging critics, it probably won't be the last. It's no secret that San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu is working on regulations for short-term rental companies like Airbnb, but on Wednesday a representative from Chiu's office offered more specifics about what those regulations will likely include.
During an appearance on KQED's "Forum," Judson True, a legislative aide to Chiu, said that while details are still being worked out, "the general principles are getting close."
One of those general principles is protecting the city's housing stock. To that end, True hinted that regulations will aim to keep housing units primarily housing city residents, not tourists.
"Permanent residency is really, really important," said True. "For a short-term rental to be legal, it should have to be a permanent residence for someone. That’s really a core concept."
True also said that a cap on the number of days a unit could be let as a short-term rental is "crucial."