So how many is too many when it comes to persons staying in a short-term rental property?
That’s the question Councilwoman Prebble Ramswell wants the city to address, as she says there are currently no regulations in place that pertain to occupancy in these types of properties. She said these types of issues contribute to other issues the city faces with rental properties, such as noise complaints and an abundance of cars parked outside homes.
“People are being herded like cattle, and you can see why we have a problem with these homes,” she said during the city’s Dec. 15 City Council meeting. “When we have no regulations on occupancy restrictions, it’s like we are encouraging that.”
While the city doesn’t regulate occupancy in short-term rentals, the code of ordinances address occupancy in long-term rentals. Article VII, Section 13-124(6)d states: “The occupancy limitations per dwelling unit, as are hereby established, shall not exceed two adults per room.”
For Ramswell, the concern is mostly focused on safety, as it can be difficult for first responders to access homes with a multitude of cars parked out front, or with many people packed into a home.
She told her colleagues that after looking at online VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) sites, she was startled.
“It’s amazing what you see,” she said, adding that some of the listings showed an eight bedroom house listing its occupancy at 26 persons.
Ramswell also took issue with what’s called a “bunkroom,” which is essentially a room with bunks in it that allows for more beds. One example city leaders looked at was a room with three bunks, no windows or direct access to the outside.
“It’s a danger,” she said.
Looking at the picture, Mayor Mel Ponder said he was bothered by what he saw.
“What concerns me with that picture… what I don’t want is a situation where, heaven forbid, there was no evacuation, no window or door.”
“On our watch, I don’t want something like that to happen,” he added.
Enforcing occupancy limits can be a bear, City Manager Greg Kisela told the group, adding that bunkrooms are not illegal in Destin.
“The challenge we have, which was strategic on our part, we wanted to address the issue of parking, noise and garbage,” he said. “I don’t want to mislead you that this is the most difficult standard for our code enforcement to enforce.”
For his part, Councilman Jim Foreman summed it up as a public safety issue.
“I don think that it needs to be dealt with, whether a rental property needs to have a chart with how many people are supposed to be there,” he said. “Even if they ignore it, we can tell them ‘I told you so,’ for what it’s worth.”
Despite the challenges, Ramswell put forth a motion for the city to look into potential occupancy limits for short term rentals, which was approved unanimously.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to set a short-term occupancy limit,” she said. “It comes down to us and we bear the responsibility.”