Ordinance Regulating Short-Term Riverside County Rentals Approved

By City News Service:

The Board of Supervisors Tuesday ratified an ordinance regulating short-term rental properties in Riverside County’s unincorporated communities to contain nuisance activity and generate revenue.

In a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Kevin Jeffries dissenting, the board cleared Ordinance No. 927 to take effect in 30 days.

The measure was revised after an initial public hearing in November based on complaints from landlords. However, the overall regulatory framework retained most of the features sought by board Chairman John Benoit and Supervisor Chuck Washington, approximating what cities like Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage already have on the books.

Under the ordinance, rental home owners in unincorporated communities will be required to obtain permits on an annual basis, at the inaugural rate of $250, after which it drops to $100.

The ordinance stipulates that properties will need to be listed with the county, and an independent agency retained by the county will be responsible for sending inspectors to handle complaints about the properties.

Short-term rentals, defined as units where individuals are paying for overnight stays that last 30 days or less, will be subject to “quiet time” enforcement, with no noise between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., will need to have rubbish located in discrete areas and no parking other than on-site.

Parking restrictions, however, don’t apply in Idyllwild and Pine Cove, where there’s little option but to park on the street.

The ordinance will impose a 10 percent transient occupancy tax on all short-term rentals -- a condition that Supervisor Kevin Jeffries found overbearing. He could not accept that “mom and pop” guest house or one-room rentals will fall into the same category as “a hotel.”

At a previous hearing, Jeffries likened his colleagues’ proposal to “using a sledgehammer to swat a fly,” arguing that a few bad experiences with rental properties had been overblown to justify more regulation.

Benoit acknowledged that the measure wasn’t “perfect” but was “as close as we’re going to get.”

He said he and his staff had uncovered multiple instances in which property investors had purchased homes for the rental income, advertising lodgings as being in Indian Wells, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, when in fact the homes were in unregulated locations like Bermuda Dunes.

According to the ads, homes can run anywhere from $70 to $3,000 a night to rent, depending on the size and character of the accommodations.

(Image via Shutterstock)