Skip to Content
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Log In
Parking

How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel

Image: AirBnB

Want to cash in on prime San Francisco real estate that the city gives away for free? Some enterprising van owner shows how it's done on AirBnB, where a listing offers a rentable camper parked on the public right of way for the budget-conscious traveler.

That's right -- someone has figured out how to make a killing by charging $92 a night ($480 for a whole week) for the use of this vehicle, while paying absolutely no form of rent, mortgage, property tax, or other cost associated with controlling real estate. It's just a subsidized mobile hotel.

The city is actually starting to shoo out RVs with overnight parking restrictions on large vehicles, but only because they're encroaching upon car-owning residents, who are apparently more entitled to store their vehicles in that space than homeless people are.

As we all know, storing private property like, say, a locker on the street is illegal, but that doesn't apply to automobiles (so long as they don't double as housing). And most elected officials are perfectly okay with that.

(h/t to Mike Sonn)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Letter to Readers: Happy Holidays and Thoughts on the Year’s Takeaways

2024 will be remembered as a seminal year for San Francisco streets

December 21, 2024

Remembering Another Person Killed by Traffic Engineers and Politicians

If there isn't money to make a project safe for everyone, regardless of how they get around, then there isn't enough money to build it. Period.

December 19, 2024
See all posts