Elmhurst Aldermen Disagree On Airbnb Rules

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst is prepared to take a "measured" approach to the public's concerns over short-term rentals such as Airbnbs, an alderman said Thursday.

A colleague, though, says a proposal before the City Council is not tough enough.

Last week, a council committee unanimously approved a proposal for rules for Airbnbs. The rules avoid the heavier hand of other towns.

The council plans to consider the proposal at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

Last year, Hinsdale banned all short-term rentals that are less than three months. Other suburbs, including Darien, have gone with one month.

Under Elmhurst's proposal, the city would establish a license system for short-term rentals. It would require rentals to be for at least a day.

The city would mandate short-term rental operators to keep a register of guests and their arrival and departure dates. They would then be required to make the registers available to police officers upon request.

Also, operators would be required to provide proof of $1 million homeowner's or host protection insurance policies. Fines for violations would be $250 for the first one, $500 for the second and $1,000 for later ones.

Other towns have justified the bans by saying that rentals such as Airbnbs draw parties that disrupt neighborhoods. They also say that residents want to know who lives next door.

In August, Aldermen Mike Brennan and Rex Irby, both of whom represent southwest Ward 7, asked for the city to consider short-term rental regulations.

They cited an incident in the 700 block of Hillside Avenue, the street where both aldermen live. Elmhurst police were called.

In an interview Thursday, Brennan said a builder owned the Hillside house and rented it to someone else. The tenant then got into the business of short-term rentals.

The incident occurred during a party.

"An argument made its way to the front yard," Brennan said.

The proposal, Brennan said, would inform the city about where all the short-term rentals are.

"We'll learn more about what's out there," he said. "There is so much that is unknown. The No. 1 problem is that we don't know who is hosting the Airbnbs."

Irby, however, wants stiffer rules. He recommended that such rentals be for at least a week.

"If you want one day, two days or three days, go to a hotel," Irby said in an interview.

He said the proposal should include a better enforcement mechanism and apply the hotel tax to short-term rentals.

Such rentals have disturbed neighborhoods, he said.

"It's gotten bad. We've had police calls," Irby said.

Brennan said most short-term rentals co-exist well in neighborhoods, so all of them should not be penalized. A week-long requirement would amount to a ban on such rentals, he said.

Elmhurst, he said, is not a destination town, so most short-term rental users are visiting residents. Instances may include seeing a sick person in the hospital or attending Elmhurst University's graduation, he said.

"I'm representing people in my ward. I know people in my ward also use Airbnbs," Brennan said. "We're putting a framework in place and getting a better understanding of what's going on in the community."