Reading officials say enforcement is the biggest hurdle in regulating short-term rentals across the city.

Six months after City Council approved an ordinance covering short-term rentals, commonly called Airbnbs, administrators say the basic requirements are in place, but compliance remains uneven and difficult to track.

David Barr, director of community development, outlined the framework Monday at council’s committee of the whole meeting.

Under the law, he said, short-term rentals must operate like any other rental property, including licensing and inspections.

“There is no separate process or license for short-term rentals,” Barr said, noting property inspections are also required on a five-year cycle to ensure safety code compliance.

But identifying the properties and bringing them into compliance has proved challenging, he said.

Barr said a recent review of online listings turned up about 25 to 30 short-term rental units, though most could not be easily matched to specific addresses because platforms intentionally obscure locations.

“It’s almost by design that you don’t really know where the property is,” he said.

Simon P. Wangolo, director of planning, said the city is studying how other municipalities approach enforcement, including monitoring listing platforms, requiring license numbers in advertisements and employing data-sharing agreements.

Technology may also play a role, Wangolo said, noting that modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, are being used in other cities to identify unregistered rentals.

For now, Reading relies heavily on complaints to identify short-term rentals and flag potential violations.

“I would finish by saying, right now we’re relying mostly on the complaints to identify these,” Barr said, adding that the city encourages residents to report concerns.

Council members raised concerns about transparency and neighborhood impact as the system develops.

Councilman O. Christopher Miller said residents want to understand how rentals will affect their blocks.

The ordinance already includes spacing limits, Barr said, noting it requires at least 1,000 feet, roughly equivalent to two blocks, between short-term rentals, Barr said.

Officials also acknowledged that key details, including fees and tax collection mechanisms, are still being worked out in coordination with the county.

“At this point, we have not started addressing that yet,” Wangolo said of fees.

Despite those gaps, council members expressed support for the framework.

“I think it’s very important that our city continues to progress,” Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said.

The next phase, Barr said, will focus squarely on enforcement, particularly identifying unregistered rentals and bringing them into compliance.