Residents and some planning commissioners expressed support for a ban on short-term rentals for multifamily and single-family residences. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission held a study session on Aug. 8 to discuss potential restrictions to short-term rentals within the city, which includes popular rental apps like Airbnb and Vrbo.

“Short-term rentals can exacerbate housing affordability issues, as they can remove units from being available to longer-term tenants,” senior planner Chloe Chen said. “Whereas single-family rentals may attract uses such as parties or the use of amenities on the property, the use of multifamily units for short-term rentals may have a greater negative impact on the rental market as it would make fewer units available and potentially cause these existing units to become less affordable.”

Residents expressed concern about short-term rentals, stating that they negatively affect rent prices and contribute to nuisances, such as noise from loud parties.

Multifamily building resident Kathy Bronte shared her negative experience with short-term rentals, stating that the tenants above her frequently rent out their unit on a short-term basis, which causes constant noise and visitors coming and going from the building. She said that for 18 months, the issue has not been resolved despite a code enforcement case being opened. She said the tenants above her deny renting out their unit.

Resident Mark Elliot echoed the concerns over housing prices and suggested the city instate a rule that would prohibit leases of under one year in multifamily, rent-controlled units. He noted a similar ban recently put in place in West Hollywood.

Some members of the public, and planning commissioners, favored even stricter short-term rental regulations.

Maura O’Neill, a representative for housing advocacy group Better Neighbors L.A., urged the planning commission to ban all short-term rentals for both multifamily and single-family homes.

“An analysis that we recently did, we pulled data from July 2024 from Airbnb and found that there were 1,157 active short-term rental listings in Beverly Hills, and those were just on Airbnb alone. This is a significant number,” she said. “Beverly Hills faces the same housing affordability and homelessness crisis that other cities in Southern California face and we believe the city must protect housing stock for long-term residents.”

Most of the planning commissioners agreed with the possible further restrictions on short-term rentals, with commissioners Lou Milkowski and Myra Demeter stating that they would support a total ban on short-term rentals for both multifamily and single-family homes.

Commissioner Gary Ross was slightly more hesitant, stating that he wants to learn more about the impact of short-term rentals within the city before implementing a ban.

“I have a little bit of ambivalence about tying landlords’ hands for more than six months. I don’t like short-term rentals, but I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Commission Chair Terri Kaplan was not present at the meeting.

The planning commission ultimately continued the discussion to a future date, as the city will continue with its community outreach to gather feedback on short-term rentals.