Could a rash of recent complaints against supposedly illegal Airbnb listings made mostly in the Noe Valley area be the work of one vigilante? Socketsite is wondering just that, observing that since the beginning of the year there have been a total of 400 claims regarding purportedly illegal short-term rental activity, acts including Airbnbing without registration and/or otherwise outside the law. But in the last week alone, 31 complaints have been registered. 90 percent of them pertain to Noe Valley.
That area, it appears, has no shortage of Airbnb units. On Airbnb's website, the company describes Noe as as "a delightfully sunny neighborhood in the midst of a city so often shrouded in fog," where "cafes and boutiques line this convivial neighborhood’s tidy main street, making it a bustling daytime destination for moms and their tots, dogs and their owners, and couples strolling hand in hand." Ahhh, charming.
To make a a complaint regarding a suspected illegal short-term rental, anyone can call or email the office of short term rentals at (415) 575-9179 or email them at [email protected]. If you don't feel the need to involve city government, complainants can always use a relatively new feature, "Airbnb and your neighborhood," which the company introduced in May, to report to the company directly. "Neighbors can submit information without having their name disclosed to a host or allow our team to pass along their contact information so the host can follow up with them directly," the company explained at the time. "We'll treat each case seriously and ensure that we give hosts and their neighbors the opportunity to resolve concerns themselves, whenever possible."
Related: Airbnb Announces New Plans, Tools, And Rules To Fight Bigoted Hosts