Darien Landlord Protests Short-Term Rental Ban

DARIEN, IL – A landlord pleaded with the Darien City Council on Tuesday to reverse its ban on short-term rentals, at least grandfathering those that already existed.

In reply, the mayor said the city enacted the prohibition on rentals for less than 30 days to protect neighbors.

Alan, who declined to give the council his last name, said the money from short-term rentals at his Darien house was his main source of income.

"It's actually affecting my life," said Alan, a former Darien resident. "I just feel it's unfair to ban Airbnbs and short-term rentals."

He said his clients were high-end, paying $200 to $300 a night to stay in his local house. He said he had never received a complaint.

Because he was taking care of four children and his parents, Alan said he moved away from Darien in 2019 for a larger house.

He said he rented out his Darien home for a year, but the tenant destroyed it. So he said it would be not worth it to go back to long-term rentals.

The city banned short-term rentals in June after discussing the issue for months.

At Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese told Alan that neighbors of short-term rentals reported damages and disturbances.

"If everyone ran their short-term rentals as effectively as you do, this probably would never have come up," Marchese said. "But it was a very bad situation ... that kind of ruined it for everyone."