A shooting outside of an Airbnb in Tempe, Arizona has neighborhood groups and residents requesting more regulations on short-term rentals. Early Saturday morning at an intersection outside of an Airbnb there was a shooting. Police have not caught the shooters as of yet, however, no one was hurt in the altercation.
Worries from homeowners:
“We are concerned about who are these people coming in and what could happen,” said Justin Stewart, a homeowner in the area who woke up to gunshots Saturday morning. “I think it’s time to find solutions instead of pointing the blame right now.”
Laws & Regulations On Short Term Rentals
According to state laws, cities can impose fines on properties that disturb neighbors. Cities such as Scottsdale and Mesa have taken advantage of these policies. In Mesa, a special license is required to own a short-term rental. Scottsdale even has its dedicated task force. “I think our city needs to get in line with other cities and address the issue and go to the state legislature assertively and take better action from what they’ve taken so far,” said Ron Tapscott who is from the group Tempe Neighborhoods Together.
Airbnb Bad For The Community
Tapscott expresses that noise complaints, drunk tourists, and shooting as well as big business from Airbnb are destroying the culture of neighborhoods. It’s also feeding into the current housing crisis. “It destabilizes communities. Let’s be clear, communities are for people associating with each other, raising their families, and when you have this kind of products come in,” stated Tapscott. “And you have ownership now that is corporatized and industrialized.”
Property Investors vs. Homeowners
The Airbnb property where the shooting occurred is owned by an LLC that also owns 39 other properties in the same county. “I’d rather have people that are invested in my neighborhood that I can go out and meet instead of just a bunch of empty houses that have some fly-by-night people and incidences like this happen,” Stewart said.