PHOENIX — Paradise Valley City Council on Thursday passed various amendments to the city’s code regarding short-term rentals in an effort to protect the health and safety of the community.
The revisions aim to reduce nuisance complaints for all residents, prohibit the use of short-term rentals for inappropriate purposes, and protect public health and safety.
“Our fellow citizens have spoken. The most pressing issue facing our residents is the disruption caused by short-term rentals in our neighborhoods,” Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner said in a news release.
“They also disproportionately weigh and put our police and other first responders at risk.”
Since the majority of nuisance complaints received by the police come from rentals, the new amendment makes it a violation to make clearly audible noises from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 10 p.m. that the amendment states is from May to September, depending on the city code.
Going forward, Paradise Valley will require and make public the owner’s name and contact information, physical address and phone number for short-term rentals, and local and emergency contact information.
The city will also require rentals to share its online advertising, reservation dates and compliance with operating standards, health and safety requirements.
Those who fail to register with the city or county assessor will receive a $150 per day fee for renting or accepting a fee for booking an unregistered short-term rental, depending on the communicated.
Pushing for a safer environment, the city has also banned landlords of short-term rental housing from housing sex offenders.
Background checks will now be carried out on all tenants to ensure there are no registered sex offenders at the property, according to the statement.
Additional health and safety standards have been added, including liability insurance, home security systems, pest control, and cleaning between bookings in accordance with CDC guidelines.
“After much public input, our council has made it clear that the status quo is not acceptable – and action is needed to put health and safety measures in place to protect our community,” said Mark Stanton. , member of the Paradise Valley City Council. , said in a press release.
“These amendments restore some balance between the rights of short-term tenants and the rights of the community.”
Local resident Bill Hunter said the quality of life in the neighborhoods has gone down due to some people working in the short-term rental business.
“These new amendments are an important first step in making our community safer, but we still need comprehensive statewide reform to address the huge problem of rogue short-term rentals in Arizona,” Hunter said.