SE Valley Times

The city of Tempe plans to crack down on a short-term rental in the city, a vacation house that has been a problem for neighbors with a number of disturbances including a call to police after shots were fired. The council says it will use the full force of city rental licensing code to ensure safety.

Tempe City Council, in a meeting streamed on YouTube, heard from a number of residents in the neighborhood near Warner Road and McClintock Drive, who were complaining about the vacation rental where a recent party led to 19 gun shots and police called to deal with the issue.

“If there was more we could do in this situation, I can tell you, as staff, we certainly would do it. We are going as far as the law allows us,” Tempe Deputy City Manager Tom Duensing said during the meeting. “And I remind the public that this body, this ordinance that was enacted was as far as the law will allow us. If there's anything in addition we could do, we certainly would.”

During the meeting, residents told council the rental property didn’t meet the city’s rental license codes which would require neighboring property owners to be informed the property was being used as a rental, as well as a license from the city to operate a vacation rental.

“To the residents, we absolutely would be happy to sit down and talk to them, to walk through the ordinance, to walk through our process and do whatever we can,” Duensing said during the meeting. “We have the same goal as they do, and it's just a safe and secure community.”

Residents also expressed concern about safety in their neighborhood, with several saying they didn’t feel safe walking in the area or letting children play in their yards as a result of the issues.

In March, Tempe officials approved an ordinance that required a city-approved license for short-term rentals of less than 30 days, and made operating such a rental without a license illegal.

The license also requires information that includes registration of the property on file with the city as well as proof of insurance along with written notification to the neighbors about the property. Failure to comply with the regulations would lead to a fine of $1,000 a month until they comply with the law, according to city documents. Owners could have their license suspended for up to a year.

“I do want to let the public and the council know that we did dispatch a letter to the owner of the short-term rental with the intention to file charges and the intention to suspend the license for up to a year,” Duensing said during the session, a comment that was met with applause from neighbors in attendance.