Pillow, the San Francisco-based short-term rental management service, is teaming with Airbnb to help landlords and tenants more easily navigate increasingly complex home sharing laws (including some laws passed specifically to regulate Airbnb-type rentals).
Veritas Investments, one of the largest owners and operators of multifamily and mixed-used properties in San Francisco, will be the first landlord to use the new platform, which includes an online dashboard for tenants and owners enrolled in Airbnb’s Friendly Buildings Program. The pilot program will include five of Veritas’ multi-family buildings, all situated in the Bay area.
“Demand for home sharing among renters keeps growing, and we anticipate a day when Pillow will be on every renters’ checklist as a must-have, alongside amenities like air conditioning or high-speed internet,” said Sean Conway, CEO of Pillow, in a prepared statement. “This partnership with Airbnb is a logical next step in making this vision a reality. Veritas is a trailblazer and we’re proud to be a part of offering the best solutions for their residents.”
Under the new partnership, landlords and tenants will be able to more easily share revenue generated through short-term rentals through an online dashboard that includes leasing information, access codes and an inventory of all temporary renters, according to a release.
Launched last summer with $13.5 million in funding, Pillow allows apartment-building owners to either directly rent out vacant units on a temporary basis or provide a controlled environment under which their tenants can do the same. Under terms of the service, landlords pay Pillow a commission ranging from 10 to 20 percent. Tenants who use the platform fork over 5-20 percent of short-term rental revenue to their landlord as well as a commission to Pillow.
Approximately half of renters between 25-34 surveyed in a recent National Multifamily Housing Council study—and more than 60 percent of those under 25—said they were interested in home sharing, even as cities like New York City and Berlin crack down on services like Airbnb, which in some cases violate a variety of multiple dwelling laws. Since its launch in 2008, Airbnb has worked with owners to rent approximately 13,000 units in its Friendly Buildings program.