By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter
The battle over short-term rentals heated up last weekend in Lower Las Casas as a group of neighbors are banning together against an Airbnb rental on their street.
Throughout the early hours of Sunday, July 31, residents on Grenola Street were disturbed by a stream of people entering and exiting the rental house, loud vehicle noises, the smell of marijuana and trash littered on their lawns the next morning. One neighbor witnessed a large group of people in the house’s pool area, and a director giving instructions.
This occurred after one of the neighbors rented his property through Airbnb for a commercial video shoot, which neighbors claim is in violation of Airbnb’s terms and conditions. Every single resident was outside of their homes to investigate the cause of the untimely disturbance, one of the residents described.
A letter signed by several of the street’s occupants addressed to the property owner demanded an apology and that he discontinue the use of his property as a short-term rental “including but not limited to rentals through Airbnb or similar agencies.” One of the neighbors also indicated that she was planning to file a police report against the rowdy tenants.
In late June this year, the Los Angeles Planning Commission voted in favor of an ordinance that would legalize and regulate short-term rentals throughout the city. Many would say that this particular incident is not an isolated event. A search on Airbnb’s website yields about 50 listings in Pacific Palisades available for one night in August of this year, with an average fee of around $300.
Los Angeles City Council has not yet voted on the proposed ordinance.
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