Newport Beach launches short-term rental complaint hotline for residents

Short-term rentals in Newport Beach aren’t new and neither is the frustration that neighbors feel for them either, with residents complaining of noise and public intoxication as recently as the Sept. 22 City Council meeting.

But a live hotline might help.

The city of Newport Beach announced Friday that its 24-hour hotline for complaints and nonemergency issues related to short-term rental units is now live.

Service operators will communicate issues to property owners or designated responders as soon as complaints are received, which city staff said will allow for the city to track the volume and types of issues that crop up with units.

Residents can call (949) 718-3443 to file complaints about issues such as loud parties, noise, parking, trash and occupancy limit violations. All emergency issues should still be placed to 911.

The hotline is part of several short-term rental reforms that the City Council approved in July. Also included in the new regulations are that owners must disclose the number of parking spots available; occupancy is limited to the maximum stated by the building and fire code; owners must have a nuisance response plan; and advertisements must include their permit numbers.

This also includes the prohibition of rental for people under 21.

As part of the reforms, short-term lodging operators are required to have a local contact person to respond in the event of any issues.

When complaints are placed, the contact person will have 30 minutes to respond. In the event that the contact person cannot be reached, operators will then call the Newport Beach Police Department for disturbance, noise and parking issues. All other issues will go to the city’s code enforcement team.

More than 1,500 homes in Newport Beach hold short-term lodging permits, with the majority concentrated at the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island and Corona del Mar.

City staff said the new regulations are in light of the proliferation of short-term rental units in recent years through Airbnb, though the city has a history of short-term rentals that predates such websites, and the subsequent community impacts therein.

For more information on how the hotline works, call the city’s revenue division at (949) 719-1997 or email [email protected].

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