SEC. 41A.4. DEFINITIONS.

   Whenever used in this Chapter 41A, the following words and phrases shall have the definitions provided in this Section:

   Booking Service. A Booking Service is any reservation and/or payment service provided by a person or entity that facilitates a short-term rental transaction between an Owner or Business Entity and a prospective tourist or transient user, and for which the person or entity collects or receives, directly or indirectly through an agent or intermediary, a fee in connection with the reservation and/or payment services provided for the short-term rental transaction.

   Business Entity. A corporation, partnership, or other legal entity that is not a natural person that owns or leases one or more residential units.

   Complaint. A complaint submitted to the Department alleging a violation of this Chapter 41A and that includes the Residential Unit's address, including unit number, date(s) and nature of alleged violation(s), and any available contact information for the Owner and/or resident of the Residential Unit at issue.

   Conversion or Convert. A change of use from Residential Use to Tourist or Transient Use, including, but not limited to, renting a Residential Unit as a Tourist or Transient Use.

   Department. The Planning Department.

   Director. The Director of the Planning Department, or his or her designee.

   Hosting Platform. A person or entity that participates in the short-term rental business by providing, and collecting or receiving a fee for, Booking Services through which an Owner may offer a Residential Unit for Tourist or Transient Use. Hosting Platforms usually, though not necessarily, provide Booking Services through an online platform that allows an Owner to advertise the Residential Unit through a website provided by the Hosting Platform and the Hosting Platform conducts a transaction by which potential tourist or transient users arrange Tourist or Transient Use and payment, whether the tourist or transient pays rent directly to the Owner or to the Hosting Platform.

   Interested Party. A Permanent Resident of the building in which the Tourist or Transient Use is alleged to occur, any homeowner association associated with the Residential Unit in which the Tourist or Transient Use is alleged to occur, the Owner of the Residential Unit in which the Tourist or Transient Use is alleged to occur, a Permanent Resident or Owner of a property within 100 feet of the property containing the Residential Unit in which the Tourist or Transient Use is alleged to occur, the City and County of San Francisco, or any non-profit organization exempt from taxation pursuant to Title 26, Section 501 of the United States Code, which has the preservation or improvement of housing as a stated purpose in its articles of incorporation or bylaws.

   Owner. Owner includes any person who is the owner of record of the real property. As used in this Chapter 41A, the term "Owner" includes a lessee where the lessee is offering a Residential Unit for Tourist or Transient use.

   Permanent Resident. A person who occupies a Residential Unit for at least 60 consecutive days with intent to establish that unit as his or her primary residence. A Permanent Resident may be an owner or a lessee.

   Primary Residence. The Permanent Resident's usual place of return for housing as documented by at least two of the following: motor vehicle registration; driver's license; voter registration; tax documents showing the Residential Unit as the Permanent Resident's residence for the purposes of a home owner's tax exemption; or a utility bill. A person may have only one Primary Residence.

   Residential Unit. Room or rooms, including a condominium or a room or dwelling unit that forms part of a tenancy-in-common arrangement, in any building, or portion thereof, which is designed, built, rented, leased, let or hired out to be occupied for Residential Use as defined in the San Francisco Housing Code.

   Residential Use. Any use for occupancy of a Residential Unit by a Permanent Resident.

   Short-Term Residential Rental. A Tourist or Transient Use where all of the following conditions are met:

   (a)   the Residential Unit is offered for Tourist or Transient Use by the Permanent Resident of the Residential Unit;

   (b)   the Permanent Resident is a natural person;

   (c)   the Permanent Resident has registered the Residential Unit and maintains good standing on the Department's Short-Term Residential Rental Registry; and

   (d)   the Residential Unit: is not subject to the Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program set forth in Planning Code Section 415 et seq.; is not a residential hotel unit subject to the provisions of Chapter 41, unless such unit has been issued a Permit to Convert under Section 41.12; is not otherwise a designated as a below market rate or income-restricted Residential Unit under City, state, or federal law; has not been the subject of an eviction pursuant to the Ellis Act and Administrative Code Section 37.9(a)(13) within the five year period prior to applying for the Registry if such eviction occurred after November 1, 2014; and no other requirement of federal or state law, this Municipal Code, or any other applicable law or regulation prohibits the permanent resident from subleasing, renting, or otherwise allowing Short-Term Residential Rental of the Residential Unit.

   Short-Term Residential Rental Registry or Registry. A database of information maintained by the Department that includes a unique registration number for each Short-Term Residential Rental and information regarding Permanent Residents who are permitted to offer Residential Units for Short-Term Residential Rental. Only one Permanent Resident per Residential Unit may be included on the Registry at any given time. The Registry shall be available for public review to the extent required by law, except that, to the extent permitted by law, the Department shall redact any Permanent Resident names and street and unit numbers from the records available for public review.

   Tourist or Transient Use. Any use of a Residential Unit for occupancy for less than a 30-day term of tenancy, or occupancy for less than 30 days of a Residential Unit leased or owned by a Business Entity, whether on a short-term or long-term basis, including any occupancy by employees or guests of a Business Entity for less than 30 days where payment for the Residential Unit is contracted for or paid by the Business Entity.

(Added by Ord. 331-81, App. 6/26/81; amended by Ord. 74-98, App. 3/16/98; Ord. 224-12 , File No. 120299, App. 11/1/2012, Eff. 12/1/2012; Ord. 218-14 , File No. 140381, App. 10/27/2014, Eff. 11/26/2014, Oper. 2/1/2015; Ord. 130-15 , File No. 150363, App. 7/30/2015, Eff. 8/29/2015; Ord. 104-16 , File No. 160423, Eff. 7/24/2016; Ord. 178-16 , File No. 160790, Eff. 9/10/2016)