The City of Los Angeles is not doing enough to regulate short-term rental properties, according to AAHOA and a report from local advocacy group Better Neighbors LA. Both groups say the city should do more to enforce its existing 2019 ordinance on home-sharing apps such as Airbnb and VRBO.

Los Angeles’ ordinance requires short-term rentals to register and sets other regulations on home-sharing apps. However, the Better Neighbors report found that the city’s enforcement of the ordinance has been dropping since 2022, evidenced by a 54 percent decrease in warning letters, an 85 percent decrease in fines, and a 25 percent increase in non-compliant listings.

The number of short-term rental listings in Los Angeles has dropped since the ordinance was passed, AAHOA said in a statement. At the same time, many illegal listings remain, and hosts are charging higher rates than ever, the association said. AAHOA advocated against legislation in Arkansas that would have prevented local governments from enacting short-term rental regulations and endorsed a new law in New York City requiring short-term rental hosts to register with the city to rent their homes or face hefty fines.

“It is unacceptable that so many short-term rentals are operating illegally in Los Angeles at the expense of law-abiding hotel owners, guests, and city residents,” said Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA President & CEO. “Given that AAHOA Members in the state of California annually contribute $16.9 billion in total taxes, and nearly $1.9 billion alone in lodging taxes, we believe it is essential that all lodging businesses do their part to lift up the local economy. We urge the Los Angeles government to enact stricter enforcement of the Home-Sharing Ordinance to ensure reasonable oversight of all lodging businesses in the city.”

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