This week, the City of Henderson gave the go-ahead to allow short-term vacation rentals in residential areas.
Henderson is now the only city in Southern Nevada that hasn’t banned them outright or put very tight restrictions on short-term rentals.
“I don’t know that we’ve gone the opposite direction," said Michael Tassi, director of community development and services for the City of Henderson, "In fact, we’ve added several new regulations to our short-term vacation rentals, which in our mind it tightens the regulations. It gives us greater tools for enforcement and it provides the expectations for how people will comply with this ordinance.”
Tassi said the current ordinance allowed short-term rentals in one district of the city but there are actually more than 500 operating in the city limits.
Under the new regulation, which takes effect in October, operators will have to register with the city and agree to all the new regulations.
The new regulations are a whole litany of rules that the city took a year to research and put together.
- Short-term rental operators will have to go through a two-day class on how to be a good operator.
- No special events like weddings or private parties will be allowed
- Noise management systems will need to be installed inside and outside the home. The system will alert the operator when a decibel level above the city code is reached.
- There will be limits on occupancy
- Guests must stay at least two nights
- Operators will need $500,000 in commercial liability insurance
- Renters will be given a brochure on how to be a good neighbor
Perhaps one of the most important rules for enforcing the new regulations is a 24/7 hotline that neighbors of the rental can call to report problems. When the operator is contacted about an issue, he or she has 45 minutes to respond and two hours to resolve the problem.
“There are very tight controls on how neighbors in a neighborhood with a short-term rental can report and get resolution on an issue that might be generated by a short-term rental,” Tassi said.
Operators that comply with that rule will face steep fines and possible revocation of their registration.
Tassi said the city will be relying on the hotline for enforcement, especially on weekends.
Following a hotline incident, the City of Henderson will be given a report. The city will follow up on complaints if needed. Tassi said the city is trying to avoid getting the police involved in any of these disputes.
“We feel like we have developed a very comprehensive set of regulations that gets to compliance but also sets Henderson expectations as to what it is to be a good neighbor,” Tassi said.
The Henderson City Council was unanimous in its vote on the new regulations. The city plans on hiring a consultant who will create a list of short-term rentals currently operating in the city limits and notified operators of the new requirements.
Michael Tassi, director of community development and services, City of Henderson