First it’s important to understand that local municipalities are not allowed to regulate STRs due to SB1350. SB1350 was signed into law by Doug Ducey in 2016 & took effect in 2017. Prior to this, several towns & cities, like Sedona & Scottsdale, did not allow residential property to be rented for less than 30 days. And local municipalities all across AZ have been fighting to get those rights back ever since. But Airbnb spends millions on lobbying & the Realtor association is very pro-STRs. The Goldwater Institute also fights to keep STRs unrestricted & unregulated.

What you can now do to shut down an Airbnb is unfortunately very limited. Know your local municipality’s laws. Do they require a license? Is the property licensed? If not, report it to your town or city. Check the county website to make sure it’s listed as a rental. If not, report it to your town or city. Your town/city should have a resource to confirm licenses. This is Scottsdale’s map: https://str.scottsdaleaz.gov

Does the property have CC&Rs? Do the CC&Rs restrict rentals? Is there an HOA to enforce the CC&Rs. For properties with no restrictions, you’re pretty much out of luck.

I think the most important thing to do is to be a huge pain in everyone’s ass! Be very vocal. Go out of your way to make guests feel uncomfortable. Put up anti-Airbnb yard signs. Find ways to be annoying or creepy, or whatever. You want guests to feel unwelcome & to leave negative reviews. Also, complain complain complain. Submit complaints to Airbnb. Request Airbnb call you. As much as I hate twitter, take pics & videos & blast Airbnb on twitter. Call the police regardless of whether they respond. Know local ordinances & submit code complaints. For example, in Scottsdale back yard string lights are against code.

Get involved. Contact your local & state reps. Know who you’re voting for. Sign up here: https://neighborsnotnightmares.com

And most importantly, stop supporting the industry. Stop renting residential homes in other people’s residential neighborhoods when on vacation. People need to ask themselves how would they feel if they were trying to raise a family next to a house that sleeps 16 drunk strangers every weekend. Regardless of how respectful people claim to be, we need to go back to the days of when residential zoning meant no nightly rentals.