BEVERLY HILLS—On January 16, the city of Beverly Hills announced on its Facebook page that during the evenings Special Meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously approved a temporary urgency ordinance that suspends short-term rental restrictions in Beverly Hills for a period of 90 days.
The decision comes as a result of thousands of displaced individuals and families that are in need of housing following the wildfires devastating parts of Los Angeles County.
Under current regulations, single-family properties may only be rented for a period of less than six months up to twice a year. Multi-family residential units are also prohibited from being used as short-term rentals for a period of less than 30 days.
The new urgency ordinance, which goes into effect immediately, allows short-term rentals for any length of time for both single-family homes and multi-family homes as long as the units are clearly being rented to displaced individuals. Property owners will need to submit documentation to Beverly Hills verifying the tenant lived in an active evacuation order or warning area, had lost their home, or had been displaced from their home due to the emergency.
Short-term rentals will need to comply with both state law and the Beverly Hills Municipal Code prohibiting price gouging in which rental rates cannot exceed 10 percent above the most recently charged rate. If a property is being used as a short-term rental for the first time, a price limit will also be established.
The ordinance will also exempt both emergency short-term rental units and hotel rooms subject to provisions of the ordinance from Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and will exempt short-term property owners from paying business tax when not already otherwise required for their rental properties.
The Beverly Hills City Council also extended the delinquency date for payment of the 2025 business tax for two months for businesses offering personal services such as hair and nail salons.
To report a violation of the urgency ordinance by a tenant or landlord, contact the askBH customer service team at (310) 285-1000 or by email ataskbh@beverlyhills.org.
By Trevor