Birmingham pauses new short-term rentals after Airbnb shooting
The City of Birmingham has put a temporary pause on new short-term rental licenses following a shooting earlier this month at an Airbnb property — a move that has intensified calls from some neighbors for a permanent ban.
The April shooting happened at an Airbnb on East Lincoln Street, rattling nearby residents.
"I want it stopped completely. Yeah, it scares me," said Krystn Thibert, who lives just a few homes down from the property where the shooting occurred.
Thibert said she has lived on the street for 40 years and had never experienced anything like it.
"I wish I had done something more with my life at this age, where I could've helped out more," she said.
Kelsey Hogan lives near the Airbnb involved in the shooting and next door to another short-term rental.
"A drive-by shooting on my street, just half a block from my house, is incredibly unsettling," Hogan said. "Bullets actually went through the neighbor's house, and thank goodness that person wasn't home. But just thinking, what if that was my next-door neighbor? What if it came through my front window at seven in the morning? It's very unsettling. It's crazy to even think that could happen on our street."
Hogan shared her experience with good and bad short-term renters.
"It really varies," she said. "It can be a family that's in town to watch a sports game, or it can be somewhat of a party where you've got people parking on the sidewalk. It looks like too many people."
On Monday, city leaders held a public meeting to discuss concerns surrounding short-term rentals. After hearing hours of public comment, the city approved a 180-day pause on issuing new short-term rental licenses while the planning commission works on updated regulations.
Not all residents support eliminating short-term rentals entirely.
Birmingham resident Kim Lodge, who also hosts an Airbnb, said she supports limits but not a full ban.
"It offers a lot of options, and I actually have an Airbnb in another state, so I'm all about it," Lodge said. "You just have to be responsible. I really feel like this was an isolated incident. I think most people really screen their guests."
With the property involved in the shooting being an Airbnb listing, CBS News Detroit reached out to the company and received the following statement:
"There is no place for gun violence on Airbnb, and we've removed the booking guest, as well as the host and listing, from our platform for violating our policies.
"The safety of our community and local neighborhoods is a priority and we invest extensively in these efforts, from banning disruptive parties to running criminal backgrounds on hosts and guests booking in Michigan, unlike other accommodation sites. As part of our work to be good partners to local communities, we also help ensure neighbors and law enforcement across the state have 24/7 channels to reach us, and offer tools like our city portal for local officials."
While new licenses are paused for now, city leaders say changes are still under discussion. Several neighbors say they plan to write letters to the city's planning commission urging officials to take stronger action, including a potential permanent ban.