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Two of my coworkers are in SF right now for WWDC, having flown there from Europe, and their AirBnB host was just handed an eviction notice for subletting - they

Two of my coworkers are in SF right now for WWDC, having flown there from Europe, and their AirBnB host was just handed an eviction notice for subletting - they have to leave immediately. So this article feels extremely ... timely. And I'll be in SF in 2 weeks for Google IO, also staying with an AirBnB host. Not the kind of article I want to read before flying out there :-)

runako 14y ago
Do you know how AirBnB is handling this for your coworkers? This kind of real-time fiasco is exactly the reason I've been hesitant to rent on AirBnB, so I'd be curious to see how they resolve the situation for the renters.
- primigenus 14y ago
  They headed out to see the keynote at 9am and I think they'll deal with the problem afterwards. Priorities, and all that ;-) If I find out what happened and it's relevant I'll report back.
  - runako 14y ago
    Smart guys. :-) Would love an update if you remember. Thanks!
    - primigenus 14y ago
      They got in touch with AirBnB; AirBnB sent out a message to nearby hosts asking for emergency assistance, and a friendly host in the area was able to pick them up and give them a place to stay for the rest of the week. It looks like they may have to pay some fees and extra for the difference in value of the location, but overall it's better than sleeping on a bench in a park!
ebiester 14y ago
I had that happen to me, subletting an apartment for two months outside of AirBnB. (We were taking over an apartment of friends of friends while they were in France.) So, a few days after the house was broken into and our laptops were stolen, the landlord (from Germany) found out we were there and we had an hour to get out. Since then, I've been very wary about subletting unless everything is above board.
rexreed 14y ago
Having had this happen once, my only advice is to find hosts on AirBnB that own their properties. I know, not the majority for SF city, but there are quite a few home owners who are in control of their property and thus not under a tenant agreement. They might later have to pay the piper with regards to the city, but that's a much harder bone to pick. If you want references for property owners in San Fran or near by who have their properties listed on AirBnB, drop me a line.
- _delirium 14y ago
  I wonder if people who own their own properties could gain a modest advantage by mentioning that in the AirBnB listing. Possibly not enough AirBnB users know about or are worried about the distinction, but I'd personally be more willing to rent from someone if the description assured me that it wasn't an unauthorized-sublet type situation.
  - rexreed 14y ago
    That's a great idea. Perhaps in addition to specifying what type of space is available for rent (right now the options are whole house / apartment / room, etc.), hosts should also specify what the property type is: * Rented apartment subject to tenant agreement * Owned condominium in multi-condo building * Shared townhome * Time-shared Vacation property * Rented detached home * Owned single family property Something like that. Not sure what the categories would be, but it would be similar to what you see when you are looking to rent or buy real estate. Then people can decide whether or not it meets their risk profile.
- mattw 14y ago
  The owners might also have to pay the piper with regards to their mortgage holder unless they own the property outright - I'm pretty sure my mortgage prohibits commercial activity like this without prior approval, similar to what a lease agreement would say. (Of course, a bank is far less likely to find out than a landlord.)
  - rexreed 14y ago
jamaicahest 14y ago
Indeed. Makes me happy that I was unable to book with Airbnb and had to go with a motel for my trip to SF.

runako 14y ago

Do you know how AirBnB is handling this for your coworkers? This kind of real-time fiasco is exactly the reason I've been hesitant to rent on AirBnB, so I'd be curious to see how they resolve the situation for the renters.

primigenus 14y ago
They headed out to see the keynote at 9am and I think they'll deal with the problem afterwards. Priorities, and all that ;-) If I find out what happened and it's relevant I'll report back.
- runako 14y ago
  Smart guys. :-) Would love an update if you remember. Thanks!
  - primigenus 14y ago
    They got in touch with AirBnB; AirBnB sent out a message to nearby hosts asking for emergency assistance, and a friendly host in the area was able to pick them up and give them a place to stay for the rest of the week. It looks like they may have to pay some fees and extra for the difference in value of the location, but overall it's better than sleeping on a bench in a park!

ebiester 14y ago

I had that happen to me, subletting an apartment for two months outside of AirBnB. (We were taking over an apartment of friends of friends while they were in France.) So, a few days after the house was broken into and our laptops were stolen, the landlord (from Germany) found out we were there and we had an hour to get out. Since then, I've been very wary about subletting unless everything is above board.

rexreed 14y ago

Having had this happen once, my only advice is to find hosts on AirBnB that own their properties. I know, not the majority for SF city, but there are quite a few home owners who are in control of their property and thus not under a tenant agreement. They might later have to pay the piper with regards to the city, but that's a much harder bone to pick. If you want references for property owners in San Fran or near by who have their properties listed on AirBnB, drop me a line.

_delirium 14y ago
I wonder if people who own their own properties could gain a modest advantage by mentioning that in the AirBnB listing. Possibly not enough AirBnB users know about or are worried about the distinction, but I'd personally be more willing to rent from someone if the description assured me that it wasn't an unauthorized-sublet type situation.
- rexreed 14y ago
  That's a great idea. Perhaps in addition to specifying what type of space is available for rent (right now the options are whole house / apartment / room, etc.), hosts should also specify what the property type is: * Rented apartment subject to tenant agreement * Owned condominium in multi-condo building * Shared townhome * Time-shared Vacation property * Rented detached home * Owned single family property Something like that. Not sure what the categories would be, but it would be similar to what you see when you are looking to rent or buy real estate. Then people can decide whether or not it meets their risk profile.
mattw 14y ago
The owners might also have to pay the piper with regards to their mortgage holder unless they own the property outright - I'm pretty sure my mortgage prohibits commercial activity like this without prior approval, similar to what a lease agreement would say. (Of course, a bank is far less likely to find out than a landlord.)
- rexreed 14y ago

jamaicahest 14y ago

Indeed. Makes me happy that I was unable to book with Airbnb and had to go with a motel for my trip to SF.