Should non-hosted Short-Term Rentals continue to be allowed in Santa Rosa?
It is my belief that non-hosted Short-Term Rentals are an inappropriate land use in residential neighborhoods. Hotels should not be located in homes in our neighborhoods. • If so, what specific regulations – if any – should be applied to non-hosted Short-Term Rentals, and how should they be enforced? Regulations are notoriously difficult to enforce and cause residents and city staff many problems. I prefer a more elegant solution, which is the eventual elimination of non-hosted short term rentals. One way to achieve this is by taking the currently allowable short term rentals out of circulation when the property is sold or transferred. It goes without saying that I support regulations on noise, occupancy, parking and any other hazard or nuisance that may be caused by using a residential home as a hotel. • Should hosted Short-Term Rentals continue to be allowed in Santa Rosa? Under the law, we cannot remove these uses from owners without serious legal ramifications. What we could do as noted above is add to the permanent ordinance and clause that would not allow the sale or transfer of the permit to operate an un-hosted unit. Eventually this would lead to a legally allowable elimination of these uses. * If so, what specific regulations – if any should be applied to hosted Short-Term Rentals, and how should they be enforced? It is my experience that hosted short-term rentals do not cause the same kinds of problems as un-hosted rentals because resident owners are on-site and typically stop any type of troubling behavior as any host does. That said, it should be required that the owner sleeps on the premises, and that quiet hours and fire safety are always respected. It is also important that hosted permits are not used as a means to skirt regulations placed on un-hosted rentals. • Should current city ordinances governing all Short-Term Rentals be updated or changed in any manner, and if so, what changes or updates would you sponsor and support? My goal in this is to restore our neighborhood character and bring back quality of life for residents. Measures that enhance this are what I will be supporting as we turn to the regular ordinance next year. I am also interested to hear if neighbors or staff members have any suggestions around strengthening the current ordinance and making it more easily enforceable.