As spotted in Chinatown, SF (via @antievictionmap) #ThanksAirBnB pic.twitter.com/bvZogzeSLL
— Zoé S. (@ztsamudzi) April 12, 2016
Less than two weeks after Airbnb admitted that at least 20 percent of its San Francisco hosts were operating illegally, fliers taking the guests of some of these hosts to task are appearing in Chinatown.
"Dear Airbnb Tourist," the flier posted to a Chinatown wall begins, "Your vacation/short term rental has led to the eviction of Chinese immigrant families."
In April 2015, the SF Examiner reported that "San Francisco-based Airbnb is playing a major role in city evictions" and is "a bigger factor than the much-maligned Ellis Act" with "many, many more Airbnb-related evictions that go unreported."
Though Airbnb concedes that 20 percent of their SF hosts are breaking the lawm city officials believe the number is far higher: According to an analysis released by SF's Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office last week, "the overwhelming majority of Airbnb hosts in the city have not bothered to register their short-term rental, and a significant minority of them are ignoring the city’s prohibition on renting out entire homes for months on end," Curbed SF reports.
"Our lives, our schools, our grandparents' homes, and social fabric are being destroyed," the flier, which was spotted yesterday afternoon, argues. It closes — perhaps insincerely — with "Have A Nice Visit In Chinatown."
Guess it's safe to assume that when Airbnb rolls its neighbor feedback function out in SF these flier makers are going to be giving out a lot of one-star reviews.
Previously: Airbnb Reveals 20% Of SF Listings Are By Hosts Listing Multiple Homes, Vows Crackdown
Airbnb Will Allow Neighbor Feedback On Hosts, Guests, Properties
[h/t Curbed SF]