My heart, home is not in S.F. anymore

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/my-heart-home-is-not-in-sf-anymore/Content?oid=2855023

by twidx • 12 years ago

12 6 12 years ago

twidx2• 12 years ago

pretty heartbreaking piece about an sf resident and her family who have made the decision to move away from the city - both by pricing, but also by a bad airbnb neighbor.

rooneel• 12 years ago

Airbnb was dismissive when I contacted them about our security concerns. It apologized for the inconvenience, but said it is just an Internet company and can't get involved.

This. Happening over and over again, everywhere. No matter what your business model is, involve the 'internet', and then you are just an Internet company, and can't get involved in the problems you caused. Because, The Internet. This sets a dangerous trend for new companies that will grow in an environment where the claim of being an 'Internet Company' clears them of all responsibility.

calbear81• 12 years ago

I wonder why Daneen didn't first try the most direct route which is to talk to her neighbor about her concerns and ask that they be respectful of "quiet hours".

twidx2• 12 years ago

from my understanding is the actual owner is never there, just rents it out all the time, and its a constant thing with different people using the space. they tried contacting airbnb, to get ahold of the owner - but to no results.

koberstein• 12 years ago

The author's best bet is probably to find the owner's contact information through the county assessor's office.

geebee• 12 years ago

People are getting mad at airbnb, but they should also be getting angry with the city, demanding more enforcement of zoning laws and building codes.

I'm not really against airbnb, but I do think that communities should have a choice. In short, I think that there should be some places in a city where people can trade their own right to run a hotel out of their apartment in exchange for a legally enforced expectation that their neighbors won't do this either.

The legal structure for this is zoning. In the past, it was difficult to violate these laws (pre-internet, it took quite a bit of effort to find tenants for an illegal hotel). As a result, enforcement could be indifferent.

Some laws become obsolete with new technology, others acquire new relevance and need to be dusted off and enforced more rigorously. Airbnb will most definitely not solve this problem, they stand to profit massively by denying people the arrangement I described above - agreeing not to turn your house or apartment into a hotel in exchange for an assurance that you will not have to live next to one. We need city government to take this on and do something.

My heart, home is not in S.F. anymore

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