Park Plazas’ residents have raised concerns about the impact of short term rentals (STRs) and those concerns are shared by other Santa Fe neighborhoods. Park Plazas resident Sharon Shoemaker reached out to Santa Fe mayor Alan Webber to get information on what is happening at the city level. Mayor Webber indicated that the city is aware of the problem and is taking action.

 

As of July 1, the City has a contract with an outside vendor that does what is called “web-scraping.” In this case, the vendor has the technology to look at 50 different websites where people list properties for short-term rentals. The vendor reports which properties in Santa Fe are advertising themselves as available. With that data, the Land Use department’s enforcement division can check to see if the properties that are listed as available do or do not have the proper permit. If they lack the permit, the city can then begin an enforcement procedure against them.

 

The city also is working on a number of changes to the registration and enforcement practices on STRs to demand more information from applicants and to limit the number of permits any single individual can hold for a short-term rental. The city plans to change the violation from a criminal to a civil procedure. This change means the city will be able to move from taking people to court, to issuing a citation--like issuing a traffic ticket—and the penalty (amount of fine currently under review) will be in real time, rather than after a prolonged court experience. The permit level (number of permits allowed in the city) is set at 1,000 and for now, that is not expected to change.

 

The city recognizes the need to do a better job of educating people about the requirements of our short-term rental permits. That includes informing owners about paying taxes, and also all requirements and regulations that apply to short-term rentals.

 

If anyone knows of a Santa Fe residence that is being used for a short-term rental illegally, Webber said they should contact the Constituent Services Office and Kristine Mihelcic. Ms. Mihelcic then would take it to the Santa Fe Land Use Department’s enforcement operation and check it against the list of permitted residences.

 

Mayor Webber stated that all of these measures should make a difference in our short-term rental market. The hope is that with increased enforcement, property owners will be more inclined to rent their property on a long-term, rather than a short-term basis thereby reducing the severe housing shortage in Santa Fe.