Community Services Administrator Lindsay Turman said during the Dec. 18 work session that Richardson staff have focused on single-family residences used for short-term rentals, of which there were 71 registered, over the first year of enforcing the short-term rental ordinance. A short-term rental is a residential property partially or wholly rented for a fee over a period not exceeding 30 days, based on the city’s ordinance definition.
In a nutshell
Turman said the focus of staff on single-family residences was made to manage an initial case load with an understanding that enforcement within multi-family short-term rentals could be more complex. Staff are also refining an enforcement approach for single-family residences that could serve as a blueprint for multi-family enforcement.
Over the first year of enforcement, 156 notifications were distributed, which resulted in 71 properties being registered as short-term rentals, according to Turman's presentation. 54 properties were no longer determined to be short-term rentals, 18 citations were issued and 11 cases remain in progress, she added.
Richardson Police Department does not specifically track short-term rental data, but received 10 calls for seven properties, Turman said. Richardson’s Community Services Department received 28 complaints for 19 properties, and issued three citations related to trash being left out too early, she added.
The backstory
Current city regulations for short-term rentals, which were adopted in September 2022, require an applicant to pay a non-refundable $75 registration fee. The ordinance applies to any area with at least one room for rent, including a unit in a multi-family building, single-family dwelling, guest house or garage apartment, per the city’s short-term rental webpage.
Within a short-term rental, a “Be a Good Neighbor” flyer must be posted that includes parking and trash information, instructions for obtaining disaster information, and emergency and non-emergency first responder contact information. Additional information should include owner contact information, a 24-hour emergency contact who lives within one hour of Richardson, evacuation information, and the location of fire extinguishers and alarms.
Quote of note
“I think the ordinance has done what we wanted it to do,” Council Member Jennifer Justice said. “I don’t think at this time that we need to take any further action unless we come back in a year and see the trend has changed.”
What else?
Council also recommended staff include a number for the Community Services Department on required postings, with a goal of making short-term rental tenants a partner in enforcement activities. No resolution or ordinance was adopted of council action during the work session.
