The city of San Diego’s plan to regulate short-term vacation rentals is set to be implemented after being approved by the California Coastal Commission.
The new requirements cap the number of short-term vacation rentals available for more than 20 days a year at 1% of the city’s more than 540,000 homes.
NBC 7’s Omari Fleming breaks down the new rules and shares San Diegans’ reaction to both sides.
“We need to start implementing,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said of the plan. “That means we need to start hiring code enforcement officers who can work to make sure any properties that are harmful properties are held accountable.”
Licenses will be assigned to Hosts through a lottery system where priority will be given to Hosts in good standing.
Jeff Macgurn has owned a property in Hillcrest for nearly eight years which he uses as a short-term rental for about 70% of the year.
“I think anyone who’s on short-term rentals right now is worried that they’re among the people who don’t get permits,” Macgurn said.
Mission Beach is the only neighborhood where the cap is raised to 30% of units due to its popularity with short-term rentals. Gary Wonacott, who is a longtime resident of the neighborhood, said he was disappointed the new rules were moving forward.
“Thirty percent to me is an abomination because it’s not just 30 percent,” Wonacott said. “It’s not uniformly 30%. We have 50 courts and places, and we have courts that will be 60%. We’ll have some that will be 15% or 20%. I don’t think it’s in any fairly.”
There is no limit to the number of licenses that will be issued to anyone wishing to rent all of their accommodation for less than 20 days per year or to anyone wishing to rent part of their accommodation, regardless of the number of days per year.
The California Coastal Commission added a provision that the city must review the regulations in seven years.
The San Diego City Council will vote next week on the plan, which could go into effect as early as this fall.
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