Prompted by concern that too many units are being taken off Berkeley’s long-term housing market for short-term uses such as Airbnb, the City Council has moved to penalize landlords who rent out multiple properties for less than two weeks.
In a unanimous vote last Thursday, following a motion by Councilman Kriss Worthington, officials asked staff to initiate an enforcement process after the city gets at least three verified complaints about property owners, individuals or companies that rent out multiple units on a short-term basis. It’s the first time the council has given direction to staff to enforce the rules about short-term rentals that are already on the books, according to the city attorney.
Short-term rentals — those less than 14 consecutive days — have always been illegal in Berkeley. The council has been working since 2014 to come up with rules to regulate them, as the practice has become increasingly popular through sites such as Airbnb, VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and HomeAway.
According to the Berkeley Tenants Union, “The reason that rentals of less than 14 days have been against the law in Berkeley is because such rentals allow an owner to get around tenant protections and rent control.”
Hundreds of rooms and units are listed in Berkeley on Airbnb, one of the more popular sites to find alternatives to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other more traditional lodging for getaways.
Read the full story at Berkeleyside:
Berkeley Seeks to Crack Down on Some Short-Term Rentals