Placentia Airbnb ban undermines property rights

Placentia Airbnb ban undermines property rights

In discussing an emergency ban on short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnb’s, Councilman Ward Smith argued at a City Council meeting that, “We need to bring a hammer.” Although he was referring to problem rentals — ones that generate repeated complaints and police calls — we’re troubled by the idea of local governments taking a heavy-handed approach toward local property regulations.  The council voted to extend its moratorium on new STRs for a …