EL PASO, TEXAS- (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 The City of El Paso is on the verge of creating an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO properties. <\/p>\n
For years, the city has collaborated with the El Paso Short-Term Rental Alliance to update its regulations. <\/p>\n
Currently, short-term rentals are not specifically defined under city code and are grouped with bed-and-breakfast lodging. <\/p>\n
RELATED: El Paso considers ban on using homes as party venues, city council to discuss<\/a><\/p>\n A presentation scheduled for tomorrow is expected to recommend giving short-term rentals their own classification and clearer rules.<\/p>\n Heidy Seoenz, president of the El Paso Short-Term Rental Association, described the presentation as “an overdue presentation.”<\/p>\n She noted that many complaints the city received about noise, trash, and parties were not linked to legitimate short-term rentals.<\/p>\n “It’s very minimal, because a lot of the parties that were happening were not actually for short term rentals. It wasn’t an Airbnb or a VRBO, it was actually just people renting out their backyard that they are not allowing people to actually sleep there,” Seoenz said.<\/p>\n Seoenz emphasized that defining what constitutes a short-term rental will help the city better enforce complaints and protect responsible operators. <\/p>\n “There’s always going to be bad actors in any community, but that we’re able to help those people out. We’re able to answer their phone calls, to answer their emails, and to guide them into the process on how we can handle the situation,” she said.<\/p>\n The city council is expected to decide whether to proceed with drafting the short-term rental ordinance and what the new rules might entail.<\/p>\n RELATED: County to enforce short-term rental ordinance, new tax<\/a><\/p>\n