Phoenix cracks down on short-term rentals with new ordinance

PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix is taking steps to crack down on short-term rentals. Many people believe it is long overdue.”It’s really unacceptable,” said Alexia Shonteff, a north Phoenix resident who lives down the street from a short-term rental. “It’s almost every single weekend, they have these huge people coming in, and there’s a DJ. There’s party going on, they have the lights, and there are neighbors in that area.”The Phoenix City Council is aware of those concerns. That is part of the reason they voted Wednesday to change the city code, allowing for additional regulations through a short-term rental permit process. Some of the requirements include registering with the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office, notifying their neighbors of their intent to operate a short-term rental and requiring criminal background checks. Another part of the process includes the city working with online platforms to verify listings.”It requires that online platforms such as Airbnb or VRBO verify that, they verify that any short-term rental being offered for rent in the City of Phoenix is in compliance with the city of Phoenix. So, it will have a permit number,” said Kate Bauer, co-founder of Arizona Neighborhood Alliance.There are also three levels of civil penalties for violations and in the worst-case scenario, a short-term rental operator could ultimately have their permit suspended. The city’s Planning and Development Department will manage the submittal and approval process, while the Neighborhood Services Department will oversee permit enforcement and violations. …