El Paso city council launches pilot program to monitor complaints about short term rentals
Published: Wed, 08/30/23
El Paso city council launches pilot program to monitor complaints about short term rentals
The city of El Paso approved a pilot program to monitor issues with short term rentals.
KFOX14
by Jennifer Cuevas
EL PASO, Texas [KFOX14] — El Paso’s City Council approved a new pilot program to monitor complaints regarding short term rentals.
The pilot program was presented to city council as a solution for the regulations they were previously looking to place on short term rental owners.
After receiving some backlash from the community and feedback from community meetings, the additional regulations were put on hold earlier in the year.
The pilot program will work through the city’s 311 number where people can report issues regarding short term rentals.
Complaints of parking shortages, excessive noise and trash are some issues that people living next to or near short term rentals have experienced.
Heidy Seoenz, president of the El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance said the program will help gather facts to determine if the regulations are in fact needed.
“We really want to be able to identify what is the issue when it comes to short term rentals and so that’s the city what they are doing, what they are implementing at this moment.”
Seoenz added the data will be presented quarterly to the city council.
“We really want to show the El Pasoans that we can rent responsibly and so once we come back in a year we can really see the data and identify if there is a problem with short term rentals because at this moment in time there’s only been 25 complaints since Airbnb, Vrbo, short term rentals started in El Paso.”
One resident who lives next to an AirBNB said overall they have been good neighbors but has noticed one issue.
“We’re a lot of people, there’s a lot of people out there also and there’s not much space really for us to park there,” resident Jennifer Esparza said.
Meantime Alejandro Ortegon, a man visiting from out of town, said it was very easy for him to find an AirBNB in El Paso and while he said his stay was great he does believe regulations are important.
“It is a little bit unfair for hotel owners, especially the hotels that aren’t big chains, all the taxes they must pay and all the regulations they have to follow for people to stay with them, are things that Airbnb's don’t need to do.”
The pilot program will run for one year, according to Seoenz.