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It's more that the fees serve as a small barrier to entry for new hosts. While you can likely expect to make that initial cost back up after a few bookings, the

It's more that the fees serve as a small barrier to entry for new hosts. While you can likely expect to make that initial cost back up after a few bookings, the fees—along with the paperwork and process associated with them—are a huge change from the earlier status quo. Before, you could have reasonably chosen to list your property on AirBnB on a whim with no financial risk. Now, it's a much more involved decision that requires spending money up front. I'd love to see some numbers on how many hosts de-listed after a short while without any bookings or stopped after one or two at the most. It seems like a given that those kinds of hosts are pretty much gone now.

arkadiyt 9y ago
> along with the paperwork and process associated with them We (airbnb) have integrated with the city for registration requirements so that you can do it from the web UI. Go into the "Manage Your Space" section and click the "Registration" tab. I work on appsec and did the security shepherding for this integration.
- Bluestrike2 9y ago
  That's definitely a solution for easing your member's burden. And that kind of integration is surprisingly citizen-focused for any local government red tape. Though I do wonder what the impact is on potential new hosts when they're in the "maybe I will, I maybe I won't" phase. It strikes me as more of a PR problem: convince potential hosts in SF that Airbnb makes compliance painless—fees aside—so they can get to the point where they're willing to pony up and try it for themselves in light of the new rules' publicity.
- knocte 9y ago
  If the integration is so friendly, then you should consider being able to register by using the amount received by the first booking(s), to avoid having to put money upfront.
  - bonesss 9y ago
    It may be doable, it might also run into issues as your're advertising and charging for a product you're not licensed to sell. I mean this is, in part, a business registration fee we're talking about... are there other regulated businesses where you can charge first and get licensed second? Trash disposal, flammable material production, health care services? Liquor wholesaling? Gynecological services? Radioactive material transport? ... From a regulatory standpoint the entire point of licensing actors is to deny poorly behaving actors licenses. If AriBnB were facilitating the sale in expectation of a license being granted then AirBnB is trying to act as a regulatory body, a no-no, and at the very least liable for any problems with the transaction or host, a no-no for AirBnB.
    - Kliment 9y ago
      That's not what's being proposed, as I understand it. Rather, the poster is proposing that airbnb pay the registration fee for you, and then withhold it from bookings made through them after. There is no advertising and charging for a product you're not licensed to sell, it's more like the advance fees in a book publishing contract.

arkadiyt 9y ago

> along with the paperwork and process associated with them We (airbnb) have integrated with the city for registration requirements so that you can do it from the web UI. Go into the "Manage Your Space" section and click the "Registration" tab. I work on appsec and did the security shepherding for this integration.

Bluestrike2 9y ago
That's definitely a solution for easing your member's burden. And that kind of integration is surprisingly citizen-focused for any local government red tape. Though I do wonder what the impact is on potential new hosts when they're in the "maybe I will, I maybe I won't" phase. It strikes me as more of a PR problem: convince potential hosts in SF that Airbnb makes compliance painless—fees aside—so they can get to the point where they're willing to pony up and try it for themselves in light of the new rules' publicity.
knocte 9y ago
If the integration is so friendly, then you should consider being able to register by using the amount received by the first booking(s), to avoid having to put money upfront.
- bonesss 9y ago
  It may be doable, it might also run into issues as your're advertising and charging for a product you're not licensed to sell. I mean this is, in part, a business registration fee we're talking about... are there other regulated businesses where you can charge first and get licensed second? Trash disposal, flammable material production, health care services? Liquor wholesaling? Gynecological services? Radioactive material transport? ... From a regulatory standpoint the entire point of licensing actors is to deny poorly behaving actors licenses. If AriBnB were facilitating the sale in expectation of a license being granted then AirBnB is trying to act as a regulatory body, a no-no, and at the very least liable for any problems with the transaction or host, a no-no for AirBnB.
  - Kliment 9y ago
    That's not what's being proposed, as I understand it. Rather, the poster is proposing that airbnb pay the registration fee for you, and then withhold it from bookings made through them after. There is no advertising and charging for a product you're not licensed to sell, it's more like the advance fees in a book publishing contract.