Los Angeles Passes Law to Control Airbnb-style Rentals
The Los Angeles city government has passed a law that says all short-term rental homes, including Airbnbs, must have a permit from the police.
People who support the new law say it will help the city reduce the impact of "party houses" and stop bad behavior in rental homes.
But the law requiring police permits is not likely to end the debate about short-term rentals, the Los Angeles Times wrote.
Some people say the law was made too quickly, and the permits will create too much work for the police and homeowners.
Scott Moffitt of the Los Angeles Police Department said the new law could create three times as much work for the police, and take officers away from other work.
But Kurt Petersen, who represents hotel workers in the city, said the change will help to end "illegal short-term rentals."
About 6,700 short-term rentals are listed with the city government, the Los Angeles Times said.
The city has tried since 2018 to control short-term rentals.
In 2020, Airbnb said over 50 homes were taken off its list of rentals in Los Angeles after complaints about parties and other problems.
The company also said it paid over $275 million in taxes in Los Angeles from 2016 to 2023, under an agreement with the city government.
Airbnb said the taxes help pay for important services in the city, while money from rentals helps some people keep living in their own homes.
Other cities such as New York, Paris, Barcelona and Florence have tried to control the number of short-term rentals.
In Malaysia, the popular island of Penang has stopped the use of homes as short-term rentals, after complaints of bad behavior by tourists.
