Why Report Short-term Rental Issues?
Regulations are put in place so that everyone can get along. If you don’t report the problem to the Host, The County, and the Booking Service (ie AirBnb), nothing will get better. In fact it will get worse. If the host does not know, their home could be wrecked. If the County does not know, they won’t be enforcing the laws. If the Booking Service does not know, they will be getting a bad reputation. Airbnb does not want bad guest behavior or hosts the allow bad guest behavior. By reporting to all three parties, bad guests and bad hosts will be held accountable for allowing bad behavior. The County will be held accountable for its level of enforcement and will therefore enforce the regulations. Airbnb will hold the hosts accountable because they don’t want bad press and additional restrictions. The only way to deal with Bad Short Term Rental Hosts/Owners is to report them and hold them accountable.
Short-term rental hosts are required by law to keep a record of all complaints and what they did to address the issue. Short-term rental hosts are required by law to investigate all complaints within ONE HOUR. By reporting the host to the 24/7 San Bernardino County Complaint Line, the County will now have a record of the complaint. The County can request to see the host’s complaint log at any time. If the host does not record the complaint in their log, they are in violation. By contacting the host through the Airbnb website, Airbnb will also have a record of the issue. They also require that hosts investigate and address complaints within ONE HOUR. Airbnb also offers a Neighborhood Support number, and they will also make sure the host responds to the complaint. With several neighbors file complaints with evidence, every time there is an issue, the offending hosts will lose their license to operate. Fines for operation a Short-term rental can become relatively high. It is not worth investing in a short-term rental property if it costs money and becomes a headache to operate.
Anonymously Noise Complaints
If you have concerns about angering your neighbor, you can skip contacting your neighbor and allow Airbnb and the County to address the issue.
How To Report Short-term Rental Guest Issues
Things you should do before reporting an problem caused by the people staying at the Short-term Rental:
- Proof of the violation goes a long way. Whenever possible, you want to be able to show the actual offense.
- For noise, parties, and events, take a video so that you can hear the noise and see where the noise is coming from and the distance to the sound. If possible, include the date and time.
- For trash or unsafe environment, take a photo, including the date and time if possible.
- For cars parked on the street or any place except for the host’s property, take a photo, including the date and time if possible.
Why Do I Have To Contact Several Places?
By law, short-term Rental hosts/owners must investigate all complaints within an hour of receiving the complaint. Hosts/owners must keep records of these complaints for the San Bernardino County agent to inspect. By contacting the San Bernardino County Complaint Line, you are creating a record of the complaint with the county. Airbnb does not want problems, so they will suspend or ban hosts and guests that get too many complaints. You need to contact them, so they have a record of the complaints. By contacting the host, the county, and Airbnb, you create a solid foundation for long-term corrective action for continuous violators of the law and Airbnb policy.
Who To Contact.
If you have your neighbors/host contact information, call or email them about the problem. If you can’t find any way of contacting the host, you can have Airbnb contact them.
If the noise or disturbance continues, call the Sheriff at their non-emergency number, or if it involves fire or seems like an emergency, call 911.
- Contact Airbnb to report the problem and to have them contact the host: Airbnb Neighborhood Support team directly +1 (855) 635-7754. Or submit complaint online at airbnb.com/neighbors.
- Contact the County to report the problem: Mountain and Desert Region Short Term Residential Rental 24/7 San Bernardino County Complaint Line: 833-722-7871. Or submit complaint online at https://sbcounty-str-complaints.deckard.com/.
Contact the Sheriff to have them address the problem: San Bernardino Sheriff Non-Emergency Dispatch: Desert – (760) 956-5001
How To Report Short-term Rental Owner/Host Issues
For non-short-term rental issues like light pollution, trash or other violations of the San Bernardino County Code the process is different. If you are unable to contact the owner or the owner is unwilling to solve the problem contact Code Enforcement. Take photos or video, which dates and times if possible. You can file a complaint online at Code Enforcement Complaints or call Code Enforcement 833-722-7871. Report Code Enforcement Violations through their new App: Click here.