City officials pause short-term rentals after shooting in Birmingham, Michigan
The city of Birmingham, Michigan, has paused the issuing of licenses for short-term rental properties.
This decision is in response to the April 11 shooting that occurred at an Airbnb property on East Lincoln Street. Three 18-year-olds are facing charges such as assault with intent to murder.
The moratorium suspends licenses for 180 days as the city's planning commission develops ideas to better manage short-term rental properties. While many residents and some council members wanted to ban them immediately.
However, the city manager advised the board against an immediate ban, noting that some neighboring cities are currently being sued for doing so. Many residents came out in support of limiting short-term rentals; some say they have been reporting properties that have been in violation of the code.
One resident says she has witnessed a short-term tenant urinating on her property, found drugs, and unconscious people on her property. Multiple residents who live near the Airbnb where the shooting occurred say the property has been a problem and questioned why action is being taken now.
Commissioner Brad Host was the only member who voted against the moratorium. During his public comment, he mentioned short-term rental properties, but no discussion ensued.
Commissioner Bill Kolb immediately urged the ban and welcomed any lawsuit that might result from the decision.
With the property involved in the shooting being an Airbnb listing, CBS News Detroit reached out to the company and received this 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."