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BUSINESS
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QC passes short-term rental registrations
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
By a vote of 3-2, Town Council has placed new restrictions on shortterm rental properties in Queen Creek and will require owners to obtain a business license with the town.
Vice Mayor Jeff Brown, council members Robin Benning and Dawn Oliphant voted in favor of the resolution while Laura Martineau and mayor-elect Julia Wheatley voted against. Councilwoman Emelina Turley retired earlier in the meeting, thus did not vote on the measure.
Brown called the measure good for Queen Creek. “It’s not draconian,” he said. “It’s not an example where government is overstepping its bounds, in my estimation.”
In addition to requiring owners to have a license to rent out their properties, the new restrictions establish certain guidelines and penalties for conduct at the homes as well as on who can rent them out.
According to AirDNA.com, which tracks many short-term rentals, Queen Creek has 64 properties for rent. Of them, 51% are listed on Airbnb, 20% listed on Vrbo and 29% on both.
Guidelines require be renters are not registered sex offenders, convicted of any felony act that resulted in death or serious physical injury, or convicted of any felony use of a deadly weapon within the last five years. Owners must show that their property is registered with the County, and “proof of lawful presence in the United States.”
The measure also establishes fines of between $500 and $3,500 for violators.
The regulation drew spirited debate among council members. Queen Creek has 64 short-term rentals that advertise on either Airbnb, Vrbo or both, according to AirDNA.com, which tracks such properties. (AirDNA)
“I’m going to have to move forward and not support this ordinance change, just because to me it’s more regulation, red tape. I think we all have benefitted, I know I have benefitted renting out Airbnb’s or whatever short-term rentals,” said Martineau.
“I think it’s a very creative way that our society has come about being able to go and visit and to travel and so I’d hate to put any limitation on that or to make it so that anyone might not want to do that because of any type of regulation,” she said.
Wheatley agreed, saying the measure creates additional bureaucracy that could eventually require an additional town staff person to oversee.
“It’s difficult because I definitely see both sides, but for me it’s that additional regulation and how cumbersome that can be,” Wheatley said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, with this type of thing it truly is something the free market will determine.
“If it is not something that is clean or sanitary or all of the things that you can regulate against, then people do not rent that Airbnb,” she continued. “The ratings go down and ultimately it sells and changes hands. At the end of the day, I don’t know what it is accomplishing… just additional regulation on property rights.”
Neither Benning nor Oliphant spoke to support their yes votes, but Brown offered more support for the measure.
“The ordinance in front of us is for public safety and quality of life,” Brown said, adding:
“In large part, what we are talking about here are investment type properties, some of which are literally being run like hotels and they are operating in otherwise quiet, family oriented suburban neighborhoods.
“We’re here to get out in front of the issue so that we don’t have a shooting at one of these things like they had in Scottsdale recently.”
Brown added that while short term rentals have been a largely successful business proposition for the property owners, often the neighbors of these properties complain of excessive noise, drunken parties, vandalism and other neighborhood rule violations that can sometimes require police presence.
The Legislature passed a measure in 2022 that allowed but did not mandate short term rental operators to obtain a business license from their city or town, and that allowed municipalities to impose additional regulations, if they so desired.
Brown reiterated that Queen Creek’s restrictions are relatively minor, but that if not passed, the town could see a lot more short-term rental traffic than it currently does.
“Queen Creek is not now a magnet for this type of property,” Brown said. “We’re not necessarily near some of the highest attractions in terms of like a Super Bowl or a Phoenix Open golf tournament.”
But Brown went on to say, other communities that are adopting more stringent protocols could drive more short-term rental traffic to Queen Creek, making it “the place to go because it’s so much easier to operate,” he said. “That’s a huge problem for me.”
Nationally and even internationally, Airbnb has recently imposed limits on properties listed on its site, which are designed to keep renters from advertising parties at the rental properties.
Airbnb has an entire page on its website devoted to describing various bans and restrictions on its services, from license requirements and zoning ordinances to tax laws and landlord-tenant restrictions.
