In June, we wrote about the ‘avalanche of cities’ with new regulations to limit short-term rentals. Despite attempts from Vrbo and Airbnb to limit party house bookings, the problem continues to grow. Community leaders are feeling the pressure to take action against rental owners and managers. Last week, Philadelphia became the latest metropolitan area to implement regulations to manage rentals. The reason they provided was a surge of out-of-control parties.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer article:
One house had a closet ripped out to make room for a DJ station. Others had raucous rooftop parties until the wee hours of the morning, keeping the neighbors awake with loud music and fireworks, leaving trash and bottles of booze in their wake. Another was the site of a nonfatal shooting, with neighbors tracing the explosive fight to a dispute with party guests.
The houses rented out on Airbnb, are seen by many residents as a blight on their neighborhood, causing noise issues, excessive litter, and — in the worst cases — sometimes violent and unruly behavior.
2022 the year of regulations
In the last few weeks, several examples of legal, regulatory, or community organizations moving against our business have emerged.
- Washington State, Massachusetts and West Virginia: unfortunate examples of new restrictions implemented against short term rentals owners in small towns that are struggling with parking, noise, crowds, and unauthorized parties.
- Scotland: as we have written about in the past, rental properties misused as party houses is a global phenomenon with high profile party disasters in Ireland and Australia. Just this week the owner of a Scottish castle lost his appeal against regulations preventing the short term rental of his property; because his neighbors complained about ‘rowdy parties’.
It is not surprising that regulations are increasing against short-term rentals due to parties. We have written extensively about the nuisances that often come from large unauthorized gatherings such as parties. They include parking, traffic, noise, and crime such as fights, theft, and of course, property damage.
The solution to keeping communities safe, neighbors happy and stopping new regulations from damaging our industry is evident. Strong guest screening and better property monitoring are fundamental tenets of a successful program. Party Squasher is privacy-protecting technology that is easy to install and use. The technology is low-cost and accurately alerts owners when parties are forming to stop them before they become a problem.
If you are an owner, now is the time to try Party Squasher sensors with our no-risk six-month money-back guarantee offer.
Photo by Master Wen on Unsplash
