OJAI : Council May Forbid New Guest Houses

In an effort to stop homeowners from illegally renting their guest houses, the Ojai City Council is considering banning guest house construction.

At its May 22 meeting, the council will discuss imposing a 45-day moratorium on guest house construction. The ban would take effect immediately after the meeting and could be extended for up to a year after a public hearing is held at the end of 45 days, City Atty. Monte L. Widders said.

The action will allow city staff time to investigate how to tighten permit and zoning regulations and crack down on violators, Widders said.

Ojai Mayor Nina Shelley announced the city’s intent to adopt the ban after council members discussed the issue in closed session earlier this week.

The city code prohibits people from living in guest houses unless they are caretakers or other employees of the homeowners, Widders said. But city officials are aware that “dozens” of guest homes in Ojai are being rented to tenants, he said.

The issue came to a head after several residents recently complained of illegal use of guest homes in their neighborhoods, he said. Planning Director William Prince said the city also receives many building requests for single-family homes with guest houses.

“It’s a problem throughout the state,” Prince said. “As long as there is a housing shortage and rents are high, there is a large incentive to rent out guest houses.” The current enforcement policy, he said, is to act on a complaint by inspecting the house to see if there is a kitchen or a permanent occupant.

“If we see a kitchen, we’d declare it an improper use and request the facility and the tenant be removed,” Prince said.

The code allows guest houses of up to 1,000 square feet in size if they are detached from the main house and on a lot of 12,000 square feet or larger. The law also allows wet bars that Prince said can be easily converted to a kitchen sink after the unit passes inspection.

The ban will not affect granny flats, which must be attached to the main house and may be no larger than 680 square feet.