Apartments, condos and single-family homes in West Hollywood no longer can be used for corporate housing.
The City Council last night passed an ordinance proposed by John Heilman to put that ban into effect. The city in July introduced an ordinance to clarify that current law bans rentals of residential housing for 30 days or less. That ban restricts property owners or renters from using services such as Airbnb to rent out their homes to tourists.
But corporate housing usually involves a company entering into a long-term lease for a residential property and then letting its employees or clients use that property for short term stays for work. Allegations have been made that such rentals have been taking place at the Huxley and Dylan apartment buildings on La Brea Avenue.
“Although turnover in such circumstances is typically less frequent than that involved in short-term vacation rentals, the high turnover remains disruptive to the stability of residential communities,” said Heilman’s proposal. “Further, when residential units are used for commercial activity such as vacation and corporate rentals rather than the purpose for which they were constructed, the supply of affordable and market-rate housing in the city is diminished and the ability of the city to achieve its housing goals is compromised.”
The Council also took a final vote on adding language to existing ordinances to clarify the ban on the rental of residential property for 30 days or less. At the request of Councilmember John D’Amico, the city will launch a campaign to educate local residents about the ban. The proposal passed in a three to two vote, with Council members D’Amico and John Duran voting against it.
30 days or less is NOT corporate housing. Corporate Housing is 30 days or Greater.
It sounds like, to me, Heilman trying to fill the new and soon to be built large hotels to add to the already proportionally high number of hotel rooms in our city. WHY?? The hotel tax (per night)(per room) is an enormous income flow to the city. By having alternatives for corporate housing (the least harmful, noisy, dangerous kind of residents possible …. they are working all day at a high paying job and come home to eat it out local restaurants and sleep). But avoid the what 17percent per night hotel tax (not sure exact hotel tax – but… Read more »
What you all are missing is that Airbnb has a RATING system that allows the people who rent to rate the people who stay. If a guest gets a bad rating – by being loud, a nuisance to their neighbors – they will NOT be rented to again. Airbnb renters know this and the vast majority of the rentals happen without neighbors ever even realizing it! Its nonsense to suggest that Airbnb guests are causing crime, disturbances, etc. It’s just not true. It may happen in a small fraction of cases, but the Airbnb feedback system prevents those types from… Read more »
Homeowners neighbors also have rights. I would not want to live next to a home that was constantly changing tenants. For West Hollywood, its an all or nothing approach that seems to fit our dense 1,9 mostly rental City.
Also, meets two objectives of the General Plan 1) Increase open space within our parks. Plummer Park is our largest City park and the funds and General Plan objective will be meet with this redevelopment funding. 2) Affordable housing set with income guidelines by the Housing Element and utilize and maximize, and fully support the WHCHC to help achieve this goal.
It is very clear that the city has gone too far to cure the abuses done at the Huxley and Dylan with regards to short or long term rentals. How is this going to be enforced? The police department? the parking enforcement? these are all contracted agencies. The only thing to do is regulate these short or long term rentals. Carrying homeowners out of their homes in handcuffs for trying to renting their units is absurd, Giving them an eviction or felony arrest for renting a room in their home is ridiculous. Please don’t spend my tax money on another… Read more »
Steve – it’s called zoning, totally legal, nothing any court can do to interfere when under normal accepted regulations. Any court will quickly dismiss any challenge under mountains and many decades of legal precedence. Cities can limit the numbers of pets. They can demand certain internal standards in a house. They can limit the number of residents in a house. They can tell you how high your house or garage is. This is everyday, standard law. No issue at all here.
I really don’t see how the city can tell a homeowner, what he or she can do with their home, whether it is a condo or a house. Who is making the house payment and paying the taxes, not the City? I think this is going to go to the Courts.
Dimitri – I’m a homeowner. I support the policy.
Why? Because having neighbors who temporarily rent their home on a regular basis can destabilize a neighborhood, create nuisances, increase crime, all sorts of negative things. It’s worse in apartment buildings.
Condos and the (mainly in NYC) more restrictive coops greatly restrict owners’ rights. And they do it to increase, not decrease, the value of a unit.
Understand your discomfort, but the reality is many many owners prefer these sort of limits and prefer cities that have them.
Whether you’re for or against AirBnB, would you really want to own a home in a city that imposes this restriction on you?? I wouldn’t. There’s no way I would ever make any home I owned an AirBnB, but there’s no way in hell I would want the city it’s in telling me I COULDN’T if I wanted to.
Its simple all Airbnb (concierges, corporate housing, vacation rentals) of all our housing stock are prohibited from using any Airbnb or individual wanting to rent any type housing on a short term basis. Host or no host, registered, licensed and all individuals that are not licensed, it is illegal to use your rental, condo, home for short term leasing in West Hollywood.
Larry, I disagree with you. The system was already abused to the fiasco it is today. AirBNB didn’t start out the mess it is today. The problem was people/renters/landlords found the loopholes and created a disruptive mess aimed solely at making money. You’re fooling yourself if you think people are doing this from the good of their heart to provide a way for strangers to visit the city. Nipping it in the bud now is the wisest thing. And to the argument that European kids backpacking won’t visit Weho is ridiculous. Renting out rooms wasn’t even a thing until 10… Read more »