Things getting a little rowdy at the Airbnb next door? Good news! Mayor Megan Barry announced today that Metro is launching a "hotline to catalog and respond to neighborhood complaints."

From the press release:

Operated by the nation’s leading experts in this field, Host Compliance, the service is a 24/7 hotline for neighbors to report unpermitted short-term rentals and filing noise, parking, trash and other nuisance complaints about specific vacation rental properties operating in the City and County. “Short-term rentals, as originally intended, can be a great way for responsible visitors to experience our city while helping individuals and families earn a little extra cash when they are away from home,” said Mayor Megan Barry. “Our hope is that this hotline will make it easier to identify and track down irresponsible property owners who are operating illegally or who fail to address the quality of life concerns for residents in the neighborhood where STRPs are operating.”

The hotline will be staffed around the clock. Host Compliance gave a presentation about the service to the Metro Council earlier this month.

The presence of what are essentially party motels on neighborhood streets has been the source of increasing frustration for some residents and Metro Council members. In August, East Nashville's Councilman Brett Withers tweeted this:

Hey, @AirbnbCitizen, is this an appropriate way that STR guests are "strengthening cities?" On a street leading to a school? pic.twitter.com/DEUugH4lx2 — Brett Withers (@brettawithers) August 5, 2017

North Nashville Councilman Freddie O'Connell told us this for our story about Nashville's bachelorette party industry last month too:

“We’ve had the doorbell rung at that hour, multiple times, from people too drunk to know which house they’re supposed to be at,” he says. The Metro Council’s attempts at settling on regulations for short-term rentals have repeatedly stalled, and the council recently postponed that effort until later this year. Describe the situation as complicated, and O’Connell will stop you right there. He doesn’t believe it’s really that complicated at all. “If you throw anywhere from eight to 20 bachelorettes into what was a residential house, I don’t think that’s a great thing for livability and maybe not even for Nashville being a destination city,” he says. “I simply don’t think these things belong in residential neighborhoods, period.”

In the Barry administration's release about the hotline, Councilperson Burkley Allen, who has been deeply involved in the short term rental discussion since it began, points to the service as a way to give existing regulations more teeth.

“Regulations can often seem meaningless without proper enforcement, and this tool provided by Host Compliance will make it easier to enforce the laws on our books,” Allen said. “This service will help responsible STRP owners to better monitor the activity at their home when they are away and give Metro the evidence and tools necessary to shut down nuisance operators and those without a permit.”

You can see instructions on how to use the hotline here.

Update (Sept. 13):

Pith received this letter from attorney Jamie Hollin, who is representing the owners of the property seen above with a blow-up doll in the window.

I represent the owners of the property depicted in the photograph of the referenced story, which was cited by Council Member Withers on Twitter. For the record, Council Member Withers also posted the images and a message on the East Nashville Facebook Group on or about the time the image was taken. A copy of the Facebook post is attached hereto. As the lawyer for the property owners, we have appealed the determination of the Zoning Administrator to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Their appeal is pending. Due to the pendency of their appeal, I ask you, as editor, and all other SouthComm employed writers, to cease and desist from further publication of this image originally posted by Council Member Withers to Twitter and Facebook. I am certain you are wondering why I make this demand. It’s simple—you’re “killing” my clients’ case. Constant publication of this image in the media renders Council Member Withers’ and others’ arguments that the “offending” image is indeed offensive quite meaningless. This image has become so ubiquitous—thanks to your efforts—it could hardly be considered by any reasonable person to violate the applicable Metro Code of Laws.1 Consequently, I must renew my request to you to cease and desist further publication of the image so the owners of the property are given a fair hearing. If you have any questions or concerns in this matter, please let me know. Sincerely, Jamie Hollin

Counsel's objection is noted for the record.