The Pismo Beach City Council has extended a moratorium on new short-term vacation rentals for another full year.
Right now, there are nearly 30 short-term rentals in the City of Pismo Beach where property owners occasionally rent out their homes on apps like Airbnb.
There will be no new short-term rentals in the City of Pismo Beach for at least another year.
This comes after the city council extended an emergency ordinance pausing applications through June 20th, 2024.
“There is one next door to me,” said Laurie Phenix, who lives in Shell Beach. She says there have been no major issues with the property next door but supports limitations on the number of these rentals.
“Some of them are really nice and ok, but other ones are a bit noisier,” she said. “So, it’s the unpredictability and never knowing what to expect that’s the problem.”
The City of Pismo Beach has put new applications on pause following complaints about noise and other disruptions from a few properties.
One Airbnb host says short-term rentals have stricter regulations than full-time vacation rentals which are only allowed in Downtown Pismo Beach.
“You have to live in the home, and it has to be owner-occupied, and you cannot rent it out more than so many days a year,” said Airbnb host Shauna Wills, who says that she is selective about who she invites into her home and neighborhood.
“For us, it is my primary residence. My kids sleep in those bedrooms. I sleep in those bedrooms. It’s my home,” said Wills. “We do not allow people to rent our home that have below a five-star rating.”
Those ratings come from apps like Airbnb or Vrbo, which allow property owners to rate their guests.
“We live in the village in Shell Beach and so it’s quieter—another reason we ensure we have good quality guests that are gonna respect our neighbors,” said Wills, who adds that she primarily rents her home out to families to make their visit to the Central Coast more enjoyable.
“If you’re gonna try to take your family or maybe two families to hotels, you’re gonna have to get two to four hotel rooms and you’re gonna have to go out every night for food,” explained Wills. “For us, we like to encourage families to stay.”
Those visits often make lasting memories.
“We leave flowers and bottles of wine for our guests. Nine times out of ten, our guests leave us bottles of wine,” she said. “Actually, one of our previous guests is now one of our neighbors.”
The Pismo Beach City Council will discuss regulating short-term rentals again on July 18.
