Manhattan Beach City Council Considers Short-Term Rental Options

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – The Manhattan Beach City Council may consider allowing short-term rentals within the city by agreeing to consider a length of stay restriction and host fee, according to The Beach Reporter. Short-term rentals are currently illegal.

City staff needs to find answers to several questions raised during Tuesday's meeting. They'll analyze policies in other cities and potential restrictions if the short-term rentals through websites like AirBnB.com and VRBO.com become legal.

One of the ideas discussed was stays with a seven-day minimum, requiring the host to be present at the residence, and a fee that the host pays to cover the cost of enforcement, the newspaper reported.

Councilmember Richard Montgomery said the number of short-term rentals still operating in the city's residential zones was proof that the prohibition of short-term rentals enacted in 2015 was not working, according to The Beach Reporter.

"We're here to clean up what didn't happen in 2015," Montgomery told the newspaper. "We need a legal path for a structured rental program."

Residents at the Tuesday meeting shared their experiences as hosts and neighbors of short-term rentals. They varied from complaining about noise, to claiming the extra income allows the renter to contribute more money to the local PTA and Education Foundation.

Read more at The Beach Reporter

Image by Patch staffer Ashley Ludwig