San Francisco is kissing and making nice with Airbnb, after city officials voted to legalize short-term rentals under 30 days — with some restrictions.

Although it was technically illegal to rent out a home for any time period shorter than 30 days, San Francisco rarely enforced that ban, reports the San Francisco Gate, but the vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has officially sanctioned the practice.

“The status quo isn’t working; we have seen an explosion in short-term rentals,” Board President David Chiu said in introducing the law.

The law only allows rentals by permanent residents, sets up a city registry for hosts, mandates the collection of hotel tax, and only allows for entire homes to be rented a total of 90 days of the year. Every listing will also now carry $500,000 in liability insurance in case something goes wrong, and there are new guidelines for enforcement.

The measure passed by a vote of 7-4 and will take effect in February.

Proponents of the law said the goal was to ensure that there was still affordable housing available to people who want to live in homes on a permanent basis, but also wanted to let residents earn a little extra income with rentals.

“We can protect our city’s housing units from being converted to hotels, while also allowing short-term rentals on a limited basis to help residents afford to stay in their homes,” Chiu said in a statement after the vote.

Airbnb says the move “will give regular people the right to share the home in which they live.

Supes back ‘Airbnb law’ to allow short-term rentals, with limits [San Francisco Gate]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.