Airbnb has issued an 18-page lawsuit against the city of San Francisco after lawmakers implemented a $1,000 per day charge for home-sharing services that allow unregistered users to post rentals. The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, alleges that the ordinance violates state law and is “arbitrary and capricious.” Airbnb alleges that San Francisco officials violated its constitutional right of commercial speech, claiming that verification of each registered user would be a “significant burden” to its operation.
Airbnb has issued an 18-page lawsuit against the city of San Francisco after lawmakers implemented a $1,000 per day charge for home-sharing services that allow unregistered users to post rentals. Homeowners must pay a $50 ($250 from November) fee to register their property for services such as Airbnb, but at least 8 in 10 failed to do so, leading to the introduction of the $1,000 charge. Airbnb alleges that San Francisco officials violated its constitutional right of commercial speech, claiming that verification of each registered user would be a “significant burden” to its operation.