For nearly three years, Councilmember Janeé Ayers has wanted to pass an ordinance that regulates short-term rentals—rooms or homes rented generally for a few days through platforms like Airbnb.
During public comment periods of Detroit City Council meetings, Ayers says she heard complaints from residents about disrespectful guests at neighbors’ homes who were using Airbnb.
“From noise to blight to trash—the guests were disrupting the fiber of the neighborhood,” Ayers says. “[Residents] asked me, ‘What are you going to do about it?’”
What she’s been doing is spearheading an ordinance that would place restrictions on short-term rental operators. She believes it will increase safety at the rentals and reduce nuisance in the neighborhood.
She also feels that short-term rentals artificially inflate property values and rent prices by restricting the amount of available housing stock. “I don’t think it’s the be-all end-all solution to affordability, but it’s one of the tools that we have to utilize.”
The city’s Legislative Policy Division presented a draft of the ordinance to the City Planning Commission on June 6 this year. An updated draft is currently making its way through City Council.
Here’s everything you need to know about the short-term rental ordinance.
