To the editor: Her article about the Los Angeles rental home that the tenant secretly listed for sale on Airbnb highlights just one of the impacts of the short-term rental (STR) industry and the grim response from city leaders. Although eager to tout their efforts to address housing affordability, Los Angeles' mayor and City Council members have turned a blind eye to gaping loopholes in the ordinance that is supposed to limit STRs to primary residences registered with no more than 120 days of rental per year.
Not only are our elected officials leaving a lot of money on the table thanks to unrecorded STRs, but their inaction often leaves residents alone in the face of unruly squatters, noise, trash, illicit drug use, and occasional violence. STRs take otherwise profitable spaces off the market and drive up rental prices, seriously reducing affordability.
Last summer, my quiet Studio City neighborhood took over an Airbnb “party house” and I was able to get help from our councilman, police, and the city attorney's office after local media coverage. Our sustained efforts resulted in the owner selling the property.
However, a year later, little has been done to address the larger impacts of STRs. Until Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council take action, residents will continue to endure the avoidable impacts highlighted by The Times.
Antonio Lucente, Studio City
..
To the editor: Like much of Big Tech, AirBnB and other STR companies have disrupted social norms without taking responsibility for what they have caused. When something goes wrong, they act helpless.
Instead, they should align their practices with the laws of many American municipalities and verify through county records that the host is the same person listed on the property deed.
Additionally, STR contracts with hosts could stipulate that renting under false pretenses would result in the return of all funds, which would then be distributed to the rightful owners. Better yet, the money could go to charities that help displaced people pay for housing.
Myers Talk, Santa Monica
..
To the editor: Her article on aggrieved landlord Nikeeta Sriram highlights the need to hire a real estate attorney to prepare a proper lease document, which should include a clause that all money collected by the tenant in an illegal sublease, plus damages , immediately revert to the owner.
Additionally, it is essential to hire a professional property manager with experience in house rentals who is also bonded and insured. Monthly property inspections also provide the opportunity to make any necessary repairs with qualified subcontractors.
Paying a 10% monthly fee to a property manager is much cheaper than the roughly $100,000 Sriram estimates he has lost this year due to uncollected rent, property damage and legal fees.
Anthony S. Elia, Mission Viejo
