Roseville nixes new short-term rentals — for now

Roseville will pause licensing new short-term rentals while the City Council re-evaluates the role of the properties in the city, after residents raised concerns about party houses disrupting their neighborhoods.

Pandemic-era trouble with raucous parties at short-term rentals led Roseville to institute a licensing process for property owners who rent out houses for fewer than 30 days at a time, often with services such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Owners of licensed rentals insist they're doing everything right, but Roseville residents who live near short-term rental properties say the licensing process has not addressed their concerns.

On Feb. 13, the council voted not to grant any new licenses as they mull changes to the licensing process, and figure out how to crack down on unlicensed properties and other rule-breakers. Roseville officials have not discussed a total ban on short-term rentals, which some other metro cities have enacted.

"This is intended to be temporary," said Mayor Dan Roe. Council members want to hear more community input before figuring out how to change licensing.

Short-term rental property owners spoke during a meeting Monday, defending their business practices and asking the council to make sure they could renew their licenses this year — especially because many have already booked guests for the summer and State Fair season.

"All my people are very respectful," said short-term rental owner Michelle Mulvehill. She said she rents to families visiting loved ones in the Twin Cities, and argued long-term rentals were more damaging to communities because property owners do not maintain them.

Another rental owner, Connie Zaiets, said she has more control over what happens at her properties by only doing short-term rentals. She said she and her husband stopped renting out homes long-term because of a bad experience with a tenant.

Residents who live near short-term rental properties told a different story. Mary Hess lives on a block with two short-term rentals on McCarrons Lake, and said on summer weekends, her street feels less like a neighborhood and more like a lake resort, with parties, bonfires and cars stacking up in the driveway and on the street.

"We don't want to be the police," Hess told the council. "We don't want to have to call the police all the time. We don't want to have to call the City Council all the time."

Dan Johnson-Powers said during a council meeting last month that he worried the rotating cast of visitors in his neighborhood — his block has three short-term rentals, including one licensed Monday just before the pause — would make it harder for neighbors to get to know each other and develop a sense of community.

"We lose those relationships if people are coming and going," Johnson-Powers said.

Roseville has seven licensed short-term rental properties — though neighbors say they suspect there are more unlicensed houses across the city — and the city's current licensing regime does not require property owners to get licensed if they live on-site. Neighbors say many properties — licensed and otherwise — appear to flout city regulations that require summer rentals to be for at least 10 days, and cap the number of unrelated adults staying there at four. Some houses in Roseville listed on Vrbo advertise space for up to 10 people, and are available for a week or less in the summer.

Council members talked about ways they could modify the licenses, such as by capping how many short-term rental properties are allowed in a given area. But they noted that city staff have few resources to enforce existing regulations, and there is no city force dedicated to inspecting rental properties and online rental listings to make sure they are complying with the law.