The number of Airbnb listings is rising in nearly every neighborhood across San Diego.
From typical hotspots like Ocean Beach and the Gaslamp, to the sleepier parts of town like Mira Mesa and Sherman Heights, Airbnb listings have grown more than 50 percent since last year, according to new data from Airbnb analytics company Beyond Pricing.
The city as a whole saw Airbnb listings rise 39 percent, from 3,105 in February 2015 to 4,305 this month, data shows. The number includes full-time entire home rentals — often referred to by critics as mini-hotels — as well as rooms or guesthouses rented out while the homeowner remains on site.
While some things are changing, others stay the same.
The same six neighborhoods as last year are still home to nearly half of the city’s total Airbnb listings: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla, North Park, Ocean Beach and East Village. Out of those hotspots, Ocean Beach and La Jolla saw the greatest gains. Ocean Beach listings rose 64 percent to 230 rentals, and La Jolla rose 58 percent to 404 rentals.
Just three neighborhoods saw Airbnb listings decline: Core-Columbia by 29 percent to 37 listings, Harborview by 23 percent to 17 and Bay Ho by 5 percent to 19 listings.
As the number of listings mostly rise, so do tensions over the proliferation of short-term vacation rentals, with rivaling community groups advocating for city intervention to either limit the rentals or require certain permits. Figuring out how to address the dueling interests has proven difficult for city staff, but a new draft ordinance is expected this summer.
San Diego isn’t the only region falling more in love with Airbnb, and in fact, “The increase is much lower than other markets, likely because of the regulatory uncertainty,” said Ian McHenry, president of San Francisco-based Beyond Pricing, which uses market trends to help owners competitively price their rentals.
He said Airbnb’s total listings rose from 1.2 million to 2 million in the last year, or 67 percent, while communities like Daytona Beach, Fla., saw listings increase by 80 percent.
And that’s just for Airbnb. There are a number of other widely used home-sharing sites, like VRBO and FlipKey, although some renters list their property on more than one website.