Monrovia officials will begin drafting rules to regulate short-term rentals before the end of the year, City Manager Dylan Feik said at the City Council meeting last week, after residents described a neighboring property operating as a “ghost hotel” with vandalism and a public-intoxication arrest.
The council has already amended city law to make short-term rentals subject to the transit occupancy tax for hotels and motels, the levy charged to visitors staying in local lodging. Feik said the City Attorney’s office is now drafting a regulatory ordinance for council review, with open questions about whether to cap the number of permits and what operational limits to impose on operators.
“We do have a rising concern around the operation of short-term rentals,” Feik told council members Oct. 20, adding that discussion would likely begin before the end of the year. The city manager noted that existing municipal codes already govern noise, trash and property damage, and he urged residents to call police or code enforcement rather than hesitate.
During the public comments portion of the hearing, the council heard about a property converted into a short-term rental by absentee owners, drawing different guests every week. Monrovia resident David Phillips reported excessive traffic on the narrow street, suspected use of the home across the street from his as a chop house and bordello and a 2:30 a.m. incident in which a guest was arrested for public intoxication after vandalizing Phillips’ car.
He urged the city to study regulations in Los Angeles and other communities that limit rental days and require the owner to reside on site.
“There is no accountability or responsibility for what’s going on,” Phillips said. “I suspect that there are many other, such units here in this community. This property is not part of our community, it is a void.”
The Monrovia Municipal Code is available online.
Also Oct. 20, the council canceled its Nov. 3 meeting because of Election Day.