Activists in San Francisco showed support for Proposition F, which would restrict short term property rentals and faces a key local vote on 3 November

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Airbnb’s San Francisco headquarters has been occupied by protesters as the debate over affordability of the city’s housing reached fever pitch ahead of a crucial local vote on 3 November.

Protesters were campaigning in support of Proposition F, which proposes tighter restrictions on short term rental properties, and gathered outside the office of vacation rental company Airbnb, which has been a flashpoint for the Prop F debate.

About 75 people carrying signs, banging drums and chanting “Stop the evictions, stop the greed” took over the lobby of the building in San Francisco’s Soma district.

Organizers of the protest said they wanted to hold Airbnb accountable for the effect its platform has on local communities.

“We’re sending the message that [Airbnb] has to follow the law like everyone else,” said Leslie Dreyer, an artist and organizer with the the Housing Rights Committee, who helped plan the protest.

Airbnb’s San Francisco headquarters on Brannan Street. Photograph: Mae Ryan

“There’s a broad array of problems,” Dreyer continued, “but it’s based on a culture of entitlement where they don’t have to follow the law.”

Prop F is considered one of the more controversial initiatives of this season’s elections. If it passes, the measure will enforce new limits on the number of days short term rental properties can be offered yearly and require the companies to report the rates charged and durations of stays.

Black balloons carrying banners with the words “Displacement”, “Homelessness” and “Pay to Play” drifted to the top of Airbnb’s atrium, as speaker after speaker recounted stories of being evicted and the effects that these evictions have on low income communities.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Campaigner and Causa Justa member Bilda Linares holds a banner at the protest inside Airbnb’s head office Photograph: David Zlutnick

A group of residents, community organizations and tenants’ rights groups has gathered more than 20,000 signatures to put the initiative on Tuesday’s ballot in an effort to combat increasing evictions and rising rents during one of the most competitive rental market periods in the city’s history.

Supporters say the measure is needed to provide regulators with the tools they need to go after landlords accused of evicting tenants and keeping properties off the rental market in order to charge more to out-of-town visitors looking for temporary accommodation. They estimate that as many as 1,900 rooms, houses and apartments are being used exclusively for this purpose.

“We have people who are being displaced in droves,” said Sara Shortt, executive director of the Housing Rights Committee. “We have people who are being priced out, and anybody that’s actually looking for housing in this market cannot find it. And at the same time we have a large percentage of our housing stock going to tourists.”

Airbnb is part of a culture of entitlement where they don’t have to follow the law Leslie Dryer, activist

The new initiative also allows neighbors and non-profit groups the ability to file legal complaints against Airbnb renters. With the proliferation of Airbnb listings popping up around the city, many local residents have expressed frustration over noise and the constant rotation of tourists and visitors through their neighborhoods.

Airbnb and other opponents of Prop F believe that the measure is an example of government overreach and have spent $8m campaigning for a vote against the bill, making it the third-most-expensive campaign in San Francisco history.

The measure will affect a handful of platforms, including VRBO, HomeAway and Flipkey, but Airbnb has by far been the most aggressive and vocal opponent, to the degree that locals have begun referring to the measure as the “Airbnb initiative”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Maria Zamudio, Housing Rights Campaign Organizer at housing organization Causa Justa::Just Cause addresses the crowd Photograph: David Zlutnick

The company, currently valued at $25bn, has hired a team of consultants, researchers, canvassers and social media specialists to make the case that further regulation is not needed and that the city is punishing local community members for housing issues that are largely beyond their control.

Kenneth K, who works at another company in the building and was watching the protest, understands the protesters frustrations but feels that the latest battles are the result of much larger issues.

“The issue is bigger than Airbnb,” he told the Guardian. “The city hasn’t built in a generation and now things are coming to a head. But I can’t really blame people who (protest) because the rules are pretty messed up.”



Airbnb’s failure to engage with local residents has angered many, who have long been campaigning against the company and the impact of its practices.

Monday’s protest is just the latest blow in a fight that has been brewing for the last few years. With prices in San Francisco’s housing market reaching record highs and longtime residents being priced out of their homes, many residents and community organizations have taken to the streets to voice their anger.

Black balloons adorned with the words 'Displacement' and 'Homelessness' rose to the top of Airbnb's atrium

Campaigner Theresa Flandrich, 60, who spoke at Monday’s protest, leads tours through San Francisco’s North Beach district that claim to show which properties have evicted tenants to make room for Airbnb rentals.

Flandrich herself is being evicted from the house where she has lived for 30 years. “This is forcing me out of my community,” she said. “My community is my family.”

For its part, Airbnb has launched an aggressive advertising campaign on local TV, billboards and social media urging citizens to vote against Prop F. In October, the company angered many local residents with a cheeky advertising campaign meant to highlight the amount of money Airbnb rentals generate in taxes: the ads backfired and the company quickly ended the campaign and issued an apology.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters’ banners hung from balloons in Airbnb’s atrium Photograph: David Zlutnick

But local activists don’t buy the apologies. More than anything, they want companies like Airbnb to pay more attention to the effect their policies have on local residents.

“You can create new communities,” Flandrich says. “But you don’t come in and destroy the communities that have been there for generations.”

Airbnb did not respond to requests for comments.