Prodded by Upset Neighbors City Looks to Limit Short-Term Rentals

A Los Angeles City Council panel instructed staffers Tuesday to draw up regulations for short-term rental booking services like Airbnb and to hold at least three public meetings on the issue.

The Planning and Land Use Management Committee heard testimony from dozens of residents who complained of noise and rowdy behavior from guests of nearby residences that have been listed on Airbnb and similar sites.

The committee backed a motion by Councilman Mike Bonin that proposes the city prohibit property that is not also primary residences from being rented out on sites like Airbnb.

Bonin said in his motion that some Airbnb listings are being operated by “off-site management companies” that buy up property for the sole purposes of operating them as a rental businesses.

Bonin’s motion also calls for the city to collect transient occupancy tax from short-term rental hosts.

Councilman Jose Huizar, who chairs the Planning and Land Use Committee, moved today to instruct the Planning Department “to thoroughly assess the potential impacts to existing housing supply and in particular to SRO (single room occupancy) units and to develop a clear and simple enforcement mechanism to effectively limit short term-rentals to primary residents only.”

City News Service