LANDLORDS HAVE BEEN evicting tenants in San Francisco because they put their homes on Airbnb.

Now, 20,720 people have signed an online petition calling for lawmakers in the US city to fix the law so that the evictions can be stopped immediately.

Airbnb allows people to rent out their home, or a room/rooms in their home, through its website.

In a mail to its users today, Airbnb said that some hosts in its hometown of San Francisco have been evicted or fined because they shared their homes.

On Tuesday, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors David Chiu proposed new rules that would help San Franciscans share their homes. This is an important step, but there is still work to be done.

“Right now – some predatory landlords are evicting Airbnb hosts, leaving them only 72 hours to vacate their homes and no opportunity for recourse,” said Douglas Atkin of Airbnb.

Petition

A petition has been set up by an Airbnb host and the leader of the Home Sharers of San Francisco Airbnb Group calling on lawmakers to fix the situation.

He said that under most standard leases, “landlords can evict individuals or families and give them only 72 hours to vacate their homes with no opportunity for recourse on the basis that their home sharing activities amount to a violation of the City’s Administrative Code, as currently written”.

He added:

Some property management companies even instruct their employees to pose as guests on Airbnb to book rental properties they manage in order to secure the evidence they need to begin eviction procedures against tenants.

According to Business Insider, San Francisco resident Jeffrey Katz received a 72-hour eviction notice that stated: “You are illegally using the premises as a tourist or transient unit,” charging him with violating the city’s ordinances.

A new proposal by Supervisor Chiu would allow permanent residents to rent out their homes on a short-term basis – but they would have to be in residence for three-quarters of the year, says CBS.

Read: Rent this school, or 7 other Airbnbs in Ireland we really want to stay in>