Airbnb defeats restrictive Prop F with $8m campaign bombardment
A largely slated campaign from Airbnb in its native San Francisco has ultimately proved successful, helping to defeat a motion which could have restricted the number of days landlords offered short-term housing rentals.
Proposition F, otherwise known as the ‘Airbnb Initiative’, was a ballot designed to give locals the chance to decide whether or not short-term room rentals, like those generated by the app, were partly responsible for driving up property prices – and shortages – in the city.
With 55 per cent of votes going against passing the bill, the $8m Airbnb reportedly spent on a campaign culminating in TV ads, social media drives, billboards and door-to-door campaigners, looks to have paid off.
If ‘Prop F’ had passed, it would have curbed those letting their properties out in the area by reducing the number of days they can rent from 90 to 75 days a year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Following the victory, an Airbnb spokesman said: “Tonight, in a decisive victory for the middle class, voters stood up for working families’ right to share their homes and opposed an extreme, hotel industry-backed measure.
“This victory was made possible by the 138,000 members of the Airbnb community who had conversations with over 105,000 voters and knocked on 285,000 doors. The effort showed that home sharing is both a community and a movement.”
Airbnb is valued at $25bn, serving as a major disruptor in travel, as one of the world's larged start-ups.