Ordinance regulating short-term rentals on Huntington Beach City Council agenda

The Huntington Beach City Council on Monday night will consider legalizing short-term rentals in Surf City, albeit with heavy regulations.

Short-term rentals, considered rentals of fewer than 30 days, are currently prohibited in Huntington Beach, though many listings are available on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo. A study showed that there were 867 units available for rent from May 2019 to April 2020.

In September, the council asked staff to prepare an ordinance for highly regulated short-term rentals. The ordinance would allow for hosted (owner occupied) short-term rentals citywide, including in Sunset Beach, according to a staff report. A permit would be required and would need to be renewed annually.

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A 45-day moratorium prohibits the short-term renting and advertising of properties on sites like Airbnb and VRBO. Officials say the move will buy time while they craft laws to prevent and regulate bad actors.

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One short-term rental would be allowed for single-family, duplex and triplex properties, as well as rental properties of any size. Up to three short-term rentals would be permitted on ownership properties with four or more units, like townhomes or condominiums.

Also notably, a local contact person would need to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and would need to be able to respond to complaints and take action within one hour.

City staff estimates that short-term rental operators in the city would generate about $8.7 million annually. The city would receive a 10% cut for the transient occupancy tax.

Monday’s City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. and can be watched on channel HBTV-3 or online at huntingtonbeach.legistar.com. Residents may send comments on agenda items to supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org.

Communications received by 2 p.m. Monday will be distributed to the council prior to consideration of agenda-related items.

The council chambers will not be open for in-person attendance to provide public comment due to COVID-19, but residents are encouraged to submit comments via Zoom.

The Webinar ID is 971 5413 0528 and can be reached via the Zoom app or by calling (669) 900-6833 and entering the ID. Individuals will be placed in a holding queue and prompted to speak when the city clerk announces their name or the last three digits of their phone number.

Time for remarks is limited to three minutes.

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