Right now, the City of Escondido does not have any regulations on its short-term rental properties, but soon that will change.
Terry Howell has lived in Escondido for more than 30 years. His house is among the 50,000 residential units in the city. There’s a lot he loves about his community, like knowing who lives next door.
“The neighbors have been here for quite a while, so we know them,” Howell said.
He’s also aware that is not always the case in neighborhoods with short-term rentals.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“If you move all the residents out, and all of the sudden you have people who only visit for a couple of months of the year, you’d have not much reason to stay other than the weather,” Howell said.
Right now, the city of Escondido has 120 short-term rental properties like AirBnbs and VRBOs that aren’t regulated.
The city is also not currently collecting Transient Occupancy Tax from short-term rentals as it does from hotel stays of less than 30 days.
Local
Andrew Firestine, director of Development Services for the city, said they’re working to change that. The tax could bring in $100,000 dollars in revenue each year.
“If it generates revenue for a city, I think that’s always a good thing. A con would be if property starts to get abused,” Howell said.
Firestine said the framework they are considering to regulate short-term rentals would address concerns from members of the community.
“I think we’re seeing a lot of concern from residents about noise, parking, impacts that you would anticipate expect from short-term rentals, so we’re seeing a lot of that come through, I think we’re also seeing the short-term rental operators share that they’re looking for a process that allows them to have short-term rentals in the city,” Firestine said.
There is a continuing survey the city of Escondido has put out for the community to share their thoughts and give their input on these regulations.
Other communities in San Diego County that have adopted short-term rental regulations include San Diego, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Oceanside, Solana Beach, and Chula Vista.
