With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
3 meetings this week will allow LA officials to take public's pulse on short-term rentals
Airbnb critics say the hosting platform is worsening LA's already-severe housing shortage.
(
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
)
Airbnb, the online home-rental service, says it will start collecting hotel taxes in a few American cities.
(
Chris Weeks/Getty Images
)
Listen
0:39
3 meetings this week will allow LA officials to take public's pulse on short-term rentals
Short-term rentals. Yea or nay?
The city of Los Angeles is preparing to develop rules on short-term rentals and is taking public feedback at three “listening sessions” this week.
The first meeting will be held tonight at Mar Vista. Two others will follow on Thursday in North Hollywood and on Saturday downtown.
A city questionnaire being circulated online gives an idea of what regulations city officials are considering:
- Should the City allow a home and/or apartment to be rented on a short term basis (less than 30 days) to guests?
- Should short term rentals only be allowed when the home is the host's primary residence?
- Should residents also be able to rent out their primary residence on a short-term basis when they are away?
It’s easier than ever to find a short-term rental on sites like Airbnb. But critics of the company worry that the proliferation of short-term rentals are changing the feel of neighborhoods. They're also concerned that thousands of long-term rental units in L.A. are getting converted to short-term rentals, because landlords can charge higher rent.
Sponsored message
The fear is that L.A.’s already-severe housing shortage will get worse without regulations. A report by the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy estimates that the city has lost an average of 11 housing units every day since October 2014.
Airbnb says listing a short-term rental does not mean the city’s losing a long-term rental unit. The company says most of its hosts are middle class and trying to make extra income by renting out their properties on occasion. A new report it worked on with UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs found that 92 percent of Airbnb listings for entire homes are rented for less than six months in a year. Eighty percent of entire home listings are rented for less than 90 nights a year, according to researchers.
"Opponents have asserted that Airbnb is removing ‘thousands of housing units’ from the rental market, a statement that is both baseless and mathematically impossible," Airbnb's regional policy director David Owen said on its website.
Schedule of short-term rental listening sessions:
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
WHERE: Mar Vista Park Auditorium
11430 Woodbine St.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
WHEN: Thursday, October 1, 7 pm to 9 pm
WHERE: North Hollywood Recreation Center
11430 Chandler Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 910601
WHEN: Saturday, October 3, 10 am to 12 pm
WHERE: Lafayette Park Recreation Center
625 South Lafayette Park Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
