LA City Council moves forward with policy requiring short-term rental hosts to obtain police permit
The Los Angeles City Council approved a draft ordinance at its Tuesday council meeting that will require short-term rental hosts to obtain a police permit in efforts to crack down on party houses.
Under the ordinance, if any short-term rental host, either of a hotel or Airbnb has a criminal history, a permit would not be granted.
The ordinance is meant to curb the rental of properties that continuously draw bad behavior, host loud parties and generally disrupt neighborhoods, giving the council and neighborhoods a way to challenge the issuing of permits.
At an earlier council committee hearing, Airbnb hosts called the police permit requirement excessive, and questioned what that would cost them.
A representative with the Los Angeles Police department expressed concern at Tuesday's council meeting, saying that these permits would create a lot of extra work for the department.
Intitial estimates by the LAPD for the short-term operator permit fee was $260, but Council President Paul Krekorian said the fees have not been finalized yet and is hoping that the background checks for the permits would not require fingerprinting.
The draft law will return Friday to the council for another vote.
