An Arizona House panel unanimously voted to give local governments more power to regulate short-term vacation rentals.
It would allow civil penalties and other sanctions if owners fail to give their contact info to local authorities and fail to maintain appropriate liability insurance. Airbnb’s lobbyist supported the measure.
But some, like Scottsdale real estate broker Karl Isenberg, say the bill doesn’t go far enough, especially since it doesn’t allow communities to limit the number of rentals in any particular area.
"To push this baby step through sounds politically opportunistic. It's great. Look what we're doing. But it doesn't help the neighbors. It doesn't help those people in the neighborhoods. And it doesn't solve the problem," Isenberg said.
Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler), the bill’s sponsor, disagrees. He said this measure is taking a scalpel to the issue.
The bill now goes to the full House.
