Jamie McGee

jmcgee@tennessean.com

Mark Thien’s neighbor is an LLC. This neighbor, he said, regularly hosts weekend house parties in 12South through a short-term rental company.

Thien has been woken up to visitors slamming car trunks and yelling to one another in the middle of the night and he has heard porch sitters talk into the early morning hours. His latest irritation with the nearby short-term rental property is the overflow of guests’ garbage bags that leaked trash onto his street after animals raided their contents.

“An unusually large number of people are inhabiting a dwelling and creating excess garbage,” he said. “Whether its a bachelorette or a guys' weekend, it gets loud. … Some things really need to change with the in-neighborhood, for-profit hoteling that we have going on."

Neighborhoods across Nashville’s urban core have grown frustrated with the growth of short-term rentals that, at times, bring unwanted noise and trash, and have questioned their impact on rising property rates. The concerns have spurred Metro Council to cap the percentage of non-owner occupied rentals per neighborhood and to consider additional regulation.

On Wednesday, a group of council members will host a community workshop to present regulatory options to residents. The meeting follows up on issues raised at an April forum, at which at least 100 residents gathered to discuss current regulations surrounding the short-term rental market, led by Airbnb and HomeAway’s VRBO.

“Most of them are obeying the laws,” said Metro Councilwoman Burkley Allen, who is organizing the meeting. “They've registered, they're paying their taxes and their tenants are quiet and respectful of the neighborhood. But, the ones you notice are the ones who don't follow the rules, and party houses are probably the biggest problem.”

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Marshall Burridge, who is an owner of the LLC renting out the 12South home near Thien, said the excess trash was cleaned up as soon as the property managers discovered it.

"We understand that's very important," said Burridge, whose company operates about 50 rental properties. "That's why it's only been a one-time issue and it will no longer be an issue."

The house sleeps 10 individuals and the majority of tenants have been families, people in town for work or those in town for a sports tournament, not house party groups, he said. "If we were to get a call about some party happening we would shut it down as soon as possible," Burridge said.

The growth of the local short-term rental market has increased significantly in recent years. Metro reported tax collections from 238 dwellings in early 2015, a number that has since climbed to 1,420. Airdna, a site that tracks Airbnb rentals, reports more than 3,000 active rentals, indicating that not every property is meeting its tax obligations.

Allen said the majority of reported problems come from properties that are not occupied by owners. One proposal that is being considered by Metro Council, sponsored by Allen and Councilman Colby Sledge, would call for stop-work orders on short-term rentals in violation and expedite the current process that requires code officials to take the issue to court. A property owner found to be operating without a permit could be banned from rentals for three years, up from the current one-year penalty.

"That is meant to be half punitive and half preventative," Sledge said. "When people get caught and they are kept from getting a permit because they have broken the law, they sell these places because they can't finance it or it's just not part of their business model."

Matt Curtis, HomeAway's senior director of government affairs and public policy, said HomeAway's audits show that while problems among non owner-occupied homes exist, they are rare. Given the financial investments that the property owners make to rent out a home, they often are quick to respond to complaints.

"What we typically find is, somebody where this is the biggest investment of their life, they are going to fix that problem really quickly." Curtis said.

To help address neighbor complaints, HomeAway launched a program called "Stay Neighborly" that allows the company to help mediate any issues with local governments. If a renter is cited, HomeAway can remove the property from its site.

HomeAway is also encouraging Nashville homeowners to include local nuisance laws in their rental contracts so that deposits are based on adherence.

The short-term rental market has been heralded by tourists looking for alternatives to hotels and by homeowners finding additional sources of income. Given its benefits to the city, Allen said the goal is not to halt the rental niche.

"It's been spreading the tourist prosperity all over the city," Allen said. "But, we have to do it in a way that doesn’t diminish the quality of life in the neighborhoods and we need to make some adjustments."

The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. also has been involved with regulations concerning short-term rentals in recent years, focusing on fair competition with local hotels.

“Our concerns are tied to public safety and a level playing field for anybody renting rooms in the city," CEO Butch Spyridon said in an emailed statement. "If they register and comply, we welcome the inventory. If they are skirting the law and living off everyone else’s hard work, that’s not going to work. If we have an ordinance, Metro needs to be able to enforce it, just as they do with all the other licensed hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast establishments.”

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.

IF YOU GO

When: Wed., July 27, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: East Police Precinct, 936 E. Trinity Lane