We are a grass-roots effort by Pacifica residents concerned about the proliferation of unhosted short-term rentals (STRs)—known commercially as AirBnBs or VRBOs—in their neighborhoods. An “unhosted STR” is one that is being rented out without the homeowner present on the property. These are also known as “whole house” AirBnBs or VRBOs. Almost 90% of the short-term rentals properties in Pacifica are unhosted, whole house rentals. Conversely, a “hosted STR” is one in which the homeowner is renting out a portion of their home while they are present, on the premises
PHANH’s goal is amendment of the City of Pacifica’s current STR ordinance to include specific restrictions on unhosted STRs that will halt the conversion of much-needed homes for residents and families into short-term vacation rentals and stem the loss of community, character, and quality of life our neighborhoods face when they become the repositories of what are essentially unregulated hotels being allowed to operate in residential areas.
Why you should care
Unhosted STRs—a/k/a “whole house” AirBnb and VRBO short-term rentals—have come under scrutiny by many cities across the world because of their destabilizing effects on residential neighborhoods, particularly in terms of ciphoning housing, raising rents, and causing disturbances related to noise, trash, and parking.
Conversely, “home sharing,” i.e., a hosted STR wherein a homeowner “shares” a part of their home with a renter, doesn’t remove housing from the community, and generally doesn’t result in noisy parties, over-flowing trash bins (or trash not taken to the curb), and an explosion of cars taking up neighborhood parking because the home-owner host is on hand and monitoring such things.
A recent study presented to the California Coastal Commission by Dr. David Wachsmuth, Chair of Urban Studies at McGill University, cited the following devastating effects of unhosted STRs:
- In any town or city where there are Airbnb listings, there is a predictable increase in rents and housing prices. In fact, during the years 2014-17, one-fifth of all increases in rents across the U.S. were found to be directly related to Airbnb operations.
- There is a direct correlation between the number of unhosted STRs in a city and the number of its unhoused. When looking at LA, it was determined that unhosted STRs were responsible for more than 5,000 extra people experiencing homelessness each night.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT:
- Rising home prices and rents
- Tenant evictions and a basic lack of long-term rental properties because landlords can make more money renting their home out on AirBnB and VRBO
- Corporate investors who live elsewhere (many not even in California) paying—often in cash—hundreds of thousands of dollars over the asking price for homes in Pacifica, thereby shutting families out of the market
- The income inequality and loss of jobs in the hospitality industry caused by tourists giving their money to rich corporate investors and not Pacifica’s local hotels that employ locals in jobs like reception, housekeeping, reservations, maintenance, and food management.
- Your neighbors being replaced by a revolving door of groups of strangers
- What are essentially unregulated hotels operating in areas zoned only for residences
- Losing households with children to temporary tourist housing that then drains our school district of enrollment and funding
- The loss for local businesses of year-round, dependable patronage by residents
- Residential neighborhoods being destabilized by a constant churn of people on vacation and/or attending conferences in San Francisco—“checking in” and “checking out” at all hours of the night/morning, partying, etc.
- Neighborhood parking being taken up by an AirBnB property rented out to 16 people who bring 8+ cars with them
- The destabilization and unsafe conditions introduced to Pacifica neighborhoods by AirBnBs and VRBOs through the opportunities they create for crime (drugs, prostitution, and violent crime)
THEN YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT RESTRICTING UNHOSTED STRs IN PACIFICA
Other Communities Have Figured This Out, It’s Time Pacifica Did, Too
Throughout San Mateo County, along the California coast and inland, and even throughout the world, cities have taken measures to restrict unhosted STRs in an attempt to remedy the damage they have done to their communities.
When the City of Pacifica created its short-term rental ordinance back in 2018, AirBnB was beginning its monumental growth spurt, having changed its primary business model of “home sharing” to providing a platform for corporate investors with portfolios of properties to rent out on a short-term basis. Our city’s ordinance is dated and woefully inadequate, reflective of a lack of understanding of how the short-term rental market was changing and expanding. At present, the City of Pacifica has approximately 140 STRs registered. However, a search on online STR platforms show that the true number of STRs in Pacifica is somewhere closer to 300—and may be even larger than that. And almost all of these are unhosted, whole-house STRs.
One main reason for the large number of unhosted STRs in Pacifica is because, while cities around us in San Mateo County and up and down the California coast have put in place restrictions on unhosted STRs, Pacifica’s STR ordinance remains highly permissive. The only hard requirements our City’s current ordinance call for are the securing of a business license, payment an annual permit fee, and remittance of the 10% transit occupancy tax (TOT). By comparison, other cities around us have in place primary residency requirements, limits on the number of short-term rental properties an STR owner/operator may have within the city limits, and a cap on the number of nights an unhosted STR may operate, among others.
Here’s a quick recap of just some of the unhosted STR restrictions other cities in San Mateo county alone have in place:
San Bruno – unhosted STRs only allowed to operate 120 nights/year
San Mateo – unhosted STRs only allowed 120 nights/year
Redwood City – STR must be owner’s primary residence; unhosted rentals limited to 120 nights/year
Burlingame – STR must be owner’s primary residence; unhosted rentals limited to 120 nights/year
Daly City – STR must be owner’s primary residence; unhosted rentals limited to 100 nights/year
Half Moon Bay — STR must be owner’s primary residence; only one STR per owner/operator in city; unhosted rentals limited to 60 nights/year
South San Francisco — unhosted STRs limited to 90 nights/year
Millbrae — STR must be owner’s primary residence; 30-day notice to neighbors as part of STR permit process
Atherton — all STRs prohibited
Woodside — all STRs prohibited
Colma – limit of 180 nights/year operation
Portola – only two guests per bedroom allowed
Brisbane – Unhosted STRs prohibited.
And going just a bit farther away:
Sausalito
Marin
Trinidad
Santa Cruz
Pacific Grove
Monterey
Carmel
What You Can Do About It
Make your voice heard by participating in City Council meetings either by sending an email to Public Comments, and/or coming in-person or calling-in to a meeting to speak. Here’s how.
Send in your comments and/or come in person to City Council’s Goal-Setting Meeting on Saturday, March 9th
Report problems with STRs in your neighborhood to Pacifica Police Department and to AirBnB and VRBO. Here’s how.
Having a problem with an unhosted STR in your neighborhood? We want to know about and document it. Share your horror story here
Join our efforts and work with us to make a difference by reaching out here
Spread the word! Tell your friends and neighbors who live in Pacifica about the need to remedy this issue and ask them to help!