On Tuesday, May 17th, the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to approve short-term rental regulations that will limit the number of vacation rentals across the City. A lottery system will be implemented to determine which homeowners will be granted two-year licenses for vacation rentals, these regulations are estimated to cut short-term rentals by 48%.
A Statement from SDSTRA:
The San Diego Short-Term Rental Alliance (SDSTRA) is pleased to see sensible regulations being put in place. We believe this permit, the fee collection and the enforcement mechanisms behind it, are all good things that will foster harmony between short-term rentals and the communities in which we coexist. For years, responsible hosts in San Diego have advocated for the City to clamp down on irresponsible actors who would tarnish our reputation and stain the long-standing tradition of short term rentals in San Diego.
However, as the hosting community of San Diego, we refuse to shoulder the blame for the City’s affordable housing crisis, a crisis that has been declared by the City Council since 2002, long before the proliferation of web-based platforms. San Diego’s housing crisis is solely a matter of burdensome costs, regulation, and opposition towards building more housing and increasing density. Prohibiting 5,000 short-term rental units from operating will not make a significant impact on the affordability of housing in our great city when estimates put our housing production behind the current and anticipated needs. It will, however, make it more difficult for families and friends to travel together to San Diego and we are very concerned of the impact this lottery will have on our members, our cherished guests, and the San Diego short-term rental community at large. We will continue to watch its implementation closely.
City website: https://www.sandiego.gov/treasurer/short-term-residential-occupancy
City Contact email: stro@sandiego.gov
To read more about the new regulation, follow the link below.