Anaheim extends moratorium on short-term rentals, while Santa Ana lifts ban

Two Southern California cities are taking different approaches to the surging popularity of short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods, with Anaheim extending a moratorium on the businesses while nearby Santa Ana lifted a temporary ban.

In Anaheim, where homeowners have complained about noise and traffic from the rentals around the Disneyland resort, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to extend a previous 45-day moratorium on the rentals by an additional 186 days.

Under the action, no new permits will be given for short-term rentals in Anaheim until at least May 3, 2016.

In nearby Santa Ana, that City Council had imposed a 45-day moratorium on short-term rentals last month in response to complaints from residents. But during a meeting Tuesday night, the council rejected a staff recommendation to extend the temporary ban for 10 months and 15 days.

Instead, the Santa Ana council voted unanimously to let the temporary ban expire Oct. 30 and direct city staff to continue studying potential legislation to address complaints about short-term rentals.

Anaheim and Santa Ana aren’t the only cities trying to regulate short-term rentals operated through online sites such as Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway, among others.

Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Laguna Beach, Mammoth Lakes and other cities have considered or adopted rules to address complaints that short-term rentals generate noise and traffic and change the character of once-quiet neighborhoods.

In Anaheim, city officials estimate that nearly 400 homes are rented on a short-term basis, up from 200 in May 2014. The city has been receiving five to 10 applications a week for new short-term rental permits, officials said.

The city collects a 15% room tax on short-term rentals as well as an annual $250 registration fee.

Since Anaheim adopted its first moratorium in September, city staff have held two meetings with residents and operators of short-term rentals to discuss restrictions. Among the ideas the city staff may consider is a minimum separation between rental homes and required notification of neighbors before a rental home permit is approved, according to a city report.

But some Anaheim residents continue to call on the city to ban the rentals permanently in neighborhoods.

“Our neighborhood cohesiveness is threatened every week with every new caravan of ‘sharing economy renters,’ many of whom seem to be happy to disrupt our peaceful neighborhood because they are ‘outta here’ in 4-7 days,” Anaheim resident Di Patterson wrote in a letter to the council this week.

To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin.

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