The Los Angeles City Council will consider a proposal today to improve enforcement of its home-sharing ordinance and residential hotel policies.
If approved, council members will ask for several reports related to necessary funding and staff to crack down on illegal, unregistered home-sharing properties. The Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) is asking for 18 new positions to aid in issuing citations, conducting investigations, among other duties.
Additionally, elected officials may explore establishing a way for residents to pursue private right of action against homeowners, who offer their property as short-term rentals and violate the city’s regulations.
These measures are needed to protect the city’s multi-family rental housing and limited rent-stabilized housing stock, according to a report. In 2019, the city implemented its Home-Sharing Ordinance, allowing residents to rent their homes to short-term visitors.
A combination of departments provide oversight of the ordinance with city planning collecting and monitoring data through a system known as Granicus, and managing applications and registration; the city attorney’s office leading the citation program; and the housing department assuming the majority of enforcement-related duties. City planning is expected to hand off more of the responsibility to LAHD.
The housing department has stated it does not have the necessary staffing and resources to effectively enforce the ordinance.
In the current fiscal year city officials approved a limited number of overtime hours, allowing LAHD staff to investigate complaints and issue citations to violators. In part, some of these citations were related to late- night party houses.
As of October 2024, approximately 300 administrative citations were referred to LAHD for enforcement, according to a report. But, housing staff estimate there are 7,500 home-sharing violators.
LAHD has requested the city increase fines — per square footage of improvement or use in violation. For example, a property owner with a home of 2,500 to 5,000 square feet, who has violated the ordinance, would face a $3,000 penalty, and subsequent fines would be doubled.
A dedicated team within the department would focus on regulating residential hotels, ensuring there’s no advertising for short-term rental use, address complaints and provide routine inspections and investigations.