Residents oppose proposed rental rules

When Lynn Carvel heard the city was considering making changes to its short-term rental regulations, she understood why the idea might sound appealing to some people.

City Commissioner Hagen Brody is proposing a change that would permit host-occupied short-term rentals in residential areas. That would allow for rentals shorter than the current minimum stay of eight days as long as the primary resident was on site.

The goal, Brody said, is to enable homeowners to make money from popular vacation rental sites such as Airbnb without inviting too much commercialization of residential areas.

Carvel gets the appeal, in theory. Unfortunately, she doesn’t believe the new rules could be enforced — because she said the city is already struggling to enforce the rules in place in her neighborhood.

“There’s just no way to regulate it, and it opens up the door for these nightly rentals that don’t belong in residential neighborhoods,” Carvel said.

Carvel is the president of the Lido Shores Property Owners Association, a 200-member group that is opposed to any loosening of the city’s short-term rental regulations. She and other residents have raised concerns about the effects short-term rentals can have on a neighborhood — in particular, increased noise and trash generated by visitors unfamiliar with the dynamics of the area.

Lido Shores residents have first-hand experience with nuisances associated with vacation rentals. At the Nov. 5 commission meeting, Carvel and two other speakers singled out a property on Westway Drive they say has become a commercial vacation rental house. A listing for the home on VRBO.com advertises that the house can sleep up to 17 people in seven bedrooms, touting the property’s presence “in the exclusive and private neighborhood of Lido Shores.”

Although the listing includes a minimum stay of seven nights, which complies with the city’s regulations, those living next to the property say it’s a frequent source of disturbance. They said the property owner makes no effort to mitigate the noise emanating from the property because they don’t actually live there.

“They’re not concerned with the residents surrounding them,” Carvel said.

Brody’s proposal to allow host-occupied rentals coincides with a campaign from rental property owners who believe relaxed rules would actually benefit the city. Herb Lustig, a resident who owns vacation properties, has argued that most owners are motivated to keep their property in good shape and ensure their renters aren’t disruptive.

“We feel that the vast majority of circumstances where homeowners are renting properties for less than the one-week period, they are certainly adhering to the norms of the community in which we all live, and they are doing their very best to take care of their properties, respect their neighbors and make sure the renters are doing the same,” Lustig said at an Oct. 15 commission meeting.

Advocates for short-term rentals point out that the city has other regulations in place designed to limit noise or address improper trash disposal. Carvel, however, sees short-term rentals as inexorably tied to neighborhood disruption.

“This is a vacation spot,” she said. “This is a beach town. You’ve got people who are coming here to vacation and party.”

Carvel said the city will respond to complaints about rental properties, but property owners can come into compliance with regulations only to violate the rules again in the future. Beyond the perceived inadequacy of the enforcement tools in place, she took issue with the notion that the responsibility for monitoring for violations would fall to the residents.

Carvel said she’s spoken to residents in other neighborhoods who’ve voiced similar displeasure with the notion of permitting some short-term vacation rentals.

So far, Lido Shores may be the most vocal opponent to Brody’s proposal, but she’s confident residents citywide will share the neighborhood’s concerns.

“We need to let everybody know about it,” Carvel said. “If it can happen to us in Lido Shores, it can literally happen to anyone.”