Airbnb hosts in LA make more than hosts in all other California cities

Los Angeles homeowners made more income using short-term rental website Airbnb than hosts in all other California cities, according to a report released Wednesday by the San-Francisco-based company.

Hosts in L.A. made a combined income of $262.6 million in 2016, placing the city in the top slot for the state.

The second and third-biggest income generators in California were San Francisco and San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. San Francisco hosts took in $147.4 million last year, while San Diego hosts took in $69.9 million, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The three cities accounted for nearly half of hosts’ profit in the state.

In total, California hosts took in $1 billion last year from roughly 5 million visitors, a 47 percent increase over 2015, when host income totaled $679 million. The number of people sharing their homes on the website grew 51 percent in 2016 to 76,600.

Airbnb’s California report was released as city officials are debating how to regulate short-term rentals. L.A. is expected to take up a proposal this year that would limit how frequently hosts can rent out rooms and force them to register with the city.

“When a single platform is bringing in $1 billion worth of money and putting it into the pockets of Californians every year, it’s hard to ignore that impact,” Christopher Nulty of Airbnb told the Union-Tribune.

The median annual income from Airbnb for hosts statewide – whether they rent out a single room or home – was $8,200, according to Airbnb.  [SDUT] — Subrina Hudson