As an international tourist destination, Las Vegas has around 10,000 homes listed as short-term rentals, but only a fraction are licensed. Unlicensed landlords face hefty fines, like the recent $180,000 and $240,000 penalties.
Complaints often arise from neighbors due to noise or when homes are bought by corporations for rentals. Homeowners, however, argue they want to rent legally but face a slow licensing process.
According to Clark County, out of the total 831 short term applications submitted, there’s a backlog of more than 600. Only about 64 have been approved so far.
The pre-application process opened in 2022, and the deadline to apply was in August of last year.
In a statement to Nevada Public Radio, Clark County said that due to distance restrictions and the original lottery system used to process applications, “the issuance or denial of a license or a withdrawal of an application will impact other applicants with a higher RNG number on the priority list. Also, the appeal of a denial also requires a hearing process, which requires additional time and delays the process. Additionally, there are factors that impact the timeliness of this process, such as applicants submitting fees timely and getting their inspections scheduled.”
Jackie Flores, founder of the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association, advocates for over 1,300 property owners and said the slow application process is impacting homeowners’ livelihoods.
“A lot of people think people do short term renting just to get rich, and that is not usually the case,” Flores said.
“The average individuals are senior citizens with a fixed income that are doing it to supplement their income, there are families that have bills to pay and need to make that extra money.”
Flores also believes the regulations in place for short term renting are a violation of constitutional rights.
“When they put the curfew that you cannot use your property after a certain hour…I think that if you’re a responsible person you should have the right to use the pool or a barbecue after hours, as long as you’re not disrupting your neighbors,” Flores said.
Clark County law for short-term rental properties states that the use of outdoor amenities, such as pools, spas, barbecues, and firepits are not permitted during the hours of 10 P.M. to 7 A.M.
Additionally, gatherings like parties, weddings or events are not allowed any time of day.
Clark County said they currently have no plans to review or reconsider current regulations.
On the flipside of this issue, neighborhood associations have been known to be vocally against short-term rentals.
Kelly Wallace is president of the Huntridge Neighborhood Association in Downtown Las Vegas. Her neighborhood is in the City of Las Vegas, where short-term renting is also legal with similar regulations to Clark County.
Wallace said short-term rentals have disturbed the peace in her neighborhood.
“We do have illegal short-term rentals in our neighborhood and they cause issues with noise and parties,” said Wallace.
“We are not in favor of allowing these to operate in our neighborhood.”
Wallace also said a big concern is investors and large companies buying up homes for the purposes of renting them out.
Estimates are that corporations own 15 percent of the homes in Las Vegas, 30 percent in Clark County, and 25 percent in North Las Vegas.
“They’re basically turning [houses] into motels, which is not conducive to having a strong neighborhood. We all know each other and we work together to make our neighborhood safer,” Wallace said.
“When you have a business in a residential area, it disrupts.”
Clark County anticipates opening up the application process for short-term rental owners again, but currently does not have a timeline.
Guests: Jackie Flores, founder, Greater Las Vegas Short Rental Association; Kelly Wallace, president, Huntridge Neighborhood Association
