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Anaheim is obviously a hotspot for tourists, considering it's home to Disneyland, as well as sporting events, a convention center and nearby Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. Currently, there are 363 permitted short-term rentals in the City of Anaheim and they all have 18 months to shut down, the OC Register reports. City council members voted 3-2 in favor of banning short-term rentals, such as those found on Airbnb, at a meeting Wednesday night. About 200 people attended the meeting, both in favor of and against the decision, according to CBS Los Angeles. The city had also contemplated adopting several regulations, including requiring renters to be at least 21 years old.
Operators of short-term rentals and those in favor of them argued that they had turned one-time problem properties into aesthetically pleasing vacation options for tourists. Others argued that short-term rentals provided a place for families with children with disabilities or allergies to stay while visiting the park, according to the Voice of OC.
Opponents, most of them residents of Anaheim, argued that the influx of tourists has resulted in late-night noise, litter and decreased parking in their neighborhoods. Frank Jones, a valet attendant at Disneyland Hotel, blamed the boom of short-term rentals for increasing rents in Anaheim, saying he was unable to find anything for less than $1,600/month and now must live outside of the city, occasionally sleeping in his car if he can't make it home after shifts.
"The sharing economy is exciting and something that gives people a chance to earn extra income but this is not really the sharing economy," Anaheim Mayor Thomas Tait said. "These are motels in residential neighborhoods."
Anaheim began requiring short-term rental operators to acquire permits for $250 annually in 2014. Guests of these properties must also pay a 15 percent tax, just as they would if they stayed in a hotel. The city stopped issuing permits in 2015 after the number of permits swiftly climbed to 400. Anyone who is caught operating a short-term rental without a permit may have their water and power shut off.
