By Brooklynn Wong
The question of how to regulate properties being rented out as “Airbnb’s” is probably not one the founders of the city of Cypress could have ever conceived of in the mid-20th century.
But it is here now and residents would like action taken.
At the Jan. 28 Cypress City Council Meeting, two neighbors, both residents of Sorrento Drive, spoke on this issue.
They said that the house with the biggest floor plan on the street is now being rented out as an Airbnb, and it’s causing problems for the neighborhood.
Airbnb is a hosting service founded in 2008 where people can list their homes as rentals for people to stay in for short amounts of time.
The house can be found on Airbnb under the name of “Casa De Cypress.” It can hold up to 12 guests and goes for $225 per night. The house is advertised as being close to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm as well as multiple freeways.
All the reviews are positive. Except one reviewer adds that “Neighbors weren’t afraid to call the cops for noise complaints.”
And this is the crux of the matter for neighbors. The two older gentlemen who spoke at the Council meeting said they love their “quiet, pleasant community” and nearly all the homeowners in the area are the original owners. Most neighbors have been in the homes for 20-plus years, ever since the houses were first built.
The house is booked for the majority of weekends in upcoming months, and has become a “party house on weekends,” according to one of the speakers.
They are concerned this will negatively impact property values going forward, and are also concerned about potential litigation should someone, for example, leave a party at the Airbnb and stumble and injure themselves on one of the neighboring properties.
The residents said their intent at this time was to simply make Council aware that this was going on and see if there are any regulations that can be put in place.
They gave the city of Cerritos as an example of a nearby city that has managed its problem Airbnb’s.
Per Cerritos’ city website, three years ago it approved an ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals, in an effort to protect residential neighborhoods from noise and nuisances. All owners of short-term rentals were told to cease and desist operation immediately.
Anaheim did the same, voting in the summer of 2016 to begin phasing out, and eventually ban altogether short-term rentals in the city.
According to Airbnb’s terms and conditions, prospective hosts must notify their HOAs or Co-Op boards to make sure there is no restriction against subletting or hosting.
photo courtesy of www.canstockphoto.com
