San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors is in the midst of a sometimes hot, sometimes cold dispute that’s currently targeting companies that facilitate …

Supervisors in a city nearly synonymous with the internet say an ordinance requiring Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms to list only legal units …

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) — San Francisco wants people who rent out their homes through Airbnb and other online platforms to follow some rules …

With growing threats of regulation in cities across Canada, Airbnb says it’s open to some restrictions tailored to tight rental markets like Vancouver’s, including banning hosts from using the popular online platform to run a business renting out multiple units.

Travel website Trip Advisor said interest in the short-term Toronto rentals listed on its site has skyrocketed, up 350 per cent compared to last year. “It’s considered one of the best cities now in the world and people are coming from everywhere, and I think this is a product of that,” said Toronto real estate agent Amanda Rix, estimating that a detached four-bedroom home in the Beach could easily rent for $500 a night.For homeowners, it’s a compelling prospect compared to what they could make by renting to long-term tenants. Six said this may pose a problem for Torontonians looking for a place to live rather than visitors looking for a vacation.
“There won’t be many options for them … I think it’s great for homeowners … [but] pretty hard on the other end … as it usually is for the buyers and the tenants.”…

Airbnb is currently having some trouble in New York. Lawmakers there have recently put the hammer down on the home rental service in a big way. Here’s one way Airbnb plans to fight back: The company is going to have a significant presence at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week, aiming to curry favor with Democratic political figures. Airbnb’s DNC activities include a Tuesday panel on the sharing economy and a “five-figure ad buy” in Philadelphia to “bring Airbnb’s message from New York to the convention,” according to people familiar with the matter….

The sharing economy discriminates. Don’t believe me? Try renting a vacation home with young kids or a service animal. Or if you’re black. Greg Selden knows what that’s like. A talent agent from Richmond, Va., he says he recently asked about the availability of an Airbnb rental in Philadelphia, but the host told him it was already booked. Selden, who is African American, then created two fake accounts that featured photos of white people, and the accommodations became available. Selden is suing Airbnb for violating the Fair Housing Act and his civil rights. Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas says racial discrimination is “unacceptable and it flies in the face of our mission to bring people together.” Last week, Airbnb hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to help it create an anti-discrimination policy. Whether you’re a buyer or seller in the sharing economy, you know discrimination happens in big and small ways. Usually, it’s a little white lie, like claiming your unit isn’t available when an unwanted guest tries to book or bending a few facts to prod a problematic guest to book somewhere else. But Christine Karpinski, author of the book How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, says, “everybody does it.” Question is, what can you do about it? If you think the vacation rental owner or Airbnb host is refusing to rent you an apartment or vacation home for discriminatory reasons, what are your options?…

After four years in a rent-controlled flat on Potrero Hill, Brian and Sarah Grzybowski were evicted, with their landlady saying she needed their apartment for her grown daughter. Months later, they stumbled across their former apartment advertised as a vacation rental. They investigated further and found it listed on Airbnb, FlipKey, Craigslist, Cozy and Zeus Living at prices ranging from $185 a night to $5,500 a month. Their rent had been $2,950. “We knew the way they got us out was hinky,” Brian said. Their landlady had characterized the maneuver as an owner-move-in eviction, a legal maneuver around renter protections that requires a landlord or a family member to have “honest intent” to live there three years. Sarah put it more simply: “It was disappointing,” she said. Their case encapsulates critics’ biggest beef with vacation rentals: Landlords and tenants have an incentive to turn regular housing into more-lucrative temporary rentals. Housing advocates say there are thousands of such conversions that drive up rents and increase scarcity….

“Stunning, spacious corporate rental with panoramic views” is how Sherry Manning’s ad describes one of her five vacation rentals listed on HomeAway/VRBO. The Maryland resident has had vacation rentals in San Francisco for several years, since before they were legalized. Manning said she always tried to comply with laws, registering with the treasurer’s office as a small business and
remitting San Francisco’s 14 percent hotel tax. Then San Francisco made vacation rentals legal — and she didn’t qualify because she doesn’t live here. After the city – which has been working to beef up enforcement — cited her, she paid a penalty and switched all her
rentals to be 30 days or more, which makes them legal….

Sunnyside and Treat St. Clubhouse are among dozens of informal Airbnb hostels that cram visitors into houses and apartments at rates ranging from $50 to $80 a night per bed. The site’s worldwide reach and help with scheduling and payment processing implifies running these hostels….