AirBnB is taking San Francisco to US District Court over rules the City recently approved.
According to the new rules, AirBnB must allow rental housing listings on its site only for hosts who have registered with the City. The problem with the City's new registration requirement, the company said, is that it provides fines and penalties on AirBnB.
Another issue of trust with the existing business model is the generation of unwelcome commercial operators converting affordable rental housing to illegal hotels while citizens have difficulties to find apartments. The traditional hospitality business is also impacted and the administration must recover taxes.
The new rules require AirBnB to only list rentals for hosts who are registered with San Francisco. That violates federal law, argues AirBnB. Note: within the last year, over 200 listings have been removed in SF according to the community marketplace AirBnB.
Restoring a trusted relationship is now needed. Why not relying on a third-party certification company to verify the host identity?
Make your own opinion.
French Article: The survey provided by the European Commission shows that 2/3 of travel websites are not providing trustworthy information to the public (very disappointing, but not a surprise as they are still not using any independent auditor to certify their procedures and the consumer reviews). Go and check it out!