Some Elmhurst Airbnbs Shut Down In Face Of New Rules: Official

ELMHURST, IL – A half dozen operators of Airbnbs and other short-term rentals in Elmhurst got out of the business after the city enacted new regulations, an official said Tuesday.

"Read into that whatever you want to," Elmhurst Alderman Mike Brennan said at a City Council meeting. "Potentially, they didn't want to go through the process or potentially their rentals would not comply with the safety parameters they would have come under."

Late last month, Elmhurst cited a man in connection with a short-term rental he operated across the street from his house in the 500 block of West Comstock Avenue.

Police said they were called about a parking complaint and a related domestic violence arrest at the rental.

The city said it learned that the house exceeded the maximum number of occupants permitted under the short-term rental law enacted last May.

At the council meeting, Brennan spoke about a police situation involving a short-term rental last month. It wasn't clear whether he was referring to the same one.

Brennan said police were called about a 13-person party in a short-term rental with cars parked all over the place. The alderman did not give the street.

Officers issued tickets for the short-term rental owner as well as for the parking violations, Brennan said.

The owner admitted to violating the city ordinance, paid a fee and submitted his application for a license, the alderman said.

By the New Year's Eve deadline, police received 14 license applications for short-term rentals. Most of them came shortly before the deadline.

The city's code enforcement officers, Brennan said, are inspecting the homes.

The city has also found three homes that are being advertised as short-term rentals, but are not complying with local regulations, Brennan said. Three tickets have been issued as a result, he said.

"From my perspective, this (ordinance) is doing exactly what we hoped it would do for the community," Brennan said.

Aldermen approved the regulations with the idea of avoiding the heavier hand of other towns.

Hinsdale, for instance, banned all short-term rentals that are less than three months. Other suburbs, including Darien, have gone with one month.