Homeowner Alert re Short Term Rentals

If you or a family member or friend is using Airbnb, Homeaway, VRBO or similar sites, and live within a condominium or homeowner association, BEWARE, as a local association management company has hired a private investigator to uncover unauthorized short term rentals.

I was interviewed by News10 San Diego and their 6 o’clock feature on short term rentals in San Diego can be viewed here.

I recently wrote a blog post on how short term rentals can be a win-win for both owners and community associations. That article can be read here. As I state in that post, although it initially may appear the disadvantages of short term rentals outnumber the advantages, a closer examination reveals the pros overshadow the cons for allowing Airbnb and similar services in community associations. Any residual problems can be ameliorated through reasonable regulation by condos and HOAs, such as:

  • Limit the number of listings per home per year;
  • Require registration of all guests, including contact info with mobile numbers;
  • Require guests to be provided CC&Rs and Rules in advance of arriving on property and warning that violations will result in monetary fine and notification to Airbnb of problem user; and
  • Allow association to impose a daily fee/tax to be used for association maintenance/reserve funding.

Short term rentals are a controversial issue within community associations. Stay tuned for further information on this topic. Feel free to reach out to me if you have thoughts or comments.