n April, two people were killed and 14 others injured when a party being held in a rented home through the Airbnb platform in Philadelphia turned violent. The two people killed, along with many of the others there, were minors, even as the Airbnb rules prohibited minors from renting homes. The rental agreement also prohibited the renter from using the home for a party. It didn’t matter. Neighbors in what was normally a peaceful, residential neighborhood were shocked, as police swarmed on the home after multiple shooters fired as many as 50 shots. The story garnered national headlines and was featured heavily on cable TV news stations. (As of this writing, no arrests had been made.) Many other less violent but still problematic conflicts occurring every week at shortterm rental properties never receive that kind of press attention. Nonetheless, they pose similar challenges for nearby homeowners, who have to worry about safety, noise, and the general disruption of their lives, as well as the local governments called on to address the problems. And these issues continue to arise even as companies like Airbnb lobby state legislatures to restrict or pre-empt local regulation designed to curb public safety violations while balancing the rights of existing homeowners. In 2019, the N.C. League of Municipalities beat back an effort to restrict local regulation of short-term rentals in the final days of the legislative session. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be further efforts to do so. I LEGISLATIVE UPDATE For Policymakers, Short-Term Rental Focus Continues: LOOKING AT A PRESSING ISSUE THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION SCOTT MOONEYHAM NCLM Director of Political Communication & Coordination At that time, proponents of legislative pre-emption argued that they were trying to protect the property rights of the homeowners who just wanted to rent their homes. “They’re just normal people, and they have one or two properties as a way that they either can afford to stay in a house that they normally couldn’t stay in, or they’re saving for retirement, or it’s a house they use part time and not other times,” Mark Zimmerman, senior vice president of the NC Realtors, told WRAL-TV then. What has become clear since then is that homes in many North Carolina markets are being bought up by investor groups, and rented on both a short-term and long-term basis, and that these homes are typically in the price range of those bought by firsttime homebuyers. By buying homes with cash, they are able to outbid traditional homebuyers, with the result driving up home costs. continues on page 10 NCLM.ORG 9
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