Commercial use of homes in residential neighborhoods harms all of us. Long-term renters are especially at risk. They are hurt when their homes when the houses, condos, and apartments they rent are illegally converted to STVRs. Unable to find housing in the same areas, they are torn away from their kids’ schools, their churches and clubs, their neighbors and communities
About half of San Diegans are renters.
Long-term renters – your neighbors who live in rented apartments or houses – make up about half the population of San Diego.
Below you will find a sampling of their comments from a July 2017 poll. [Emphasis added.] As their words convey, they are suffering. Conversions to short-term rentals lead to evictions, increased rents, and fewer housing options.
Listen to your San Diego neighbors who rent:
My girlfriend was evicted three times within a year because the buildings she lived in were converted to SVTRs (in three separate parts of San Diego). I have rented a unit in a duplex with the owner in the other unit for 14 years. The owner is elderly and I help her with the property and various things (like a good “neighbor” often does). When she is gone, I have no doubt I will be evicted and my apartment turned into a STVR. Due to debt I incurred obtaining a professional graduate degree (right before 2 recessions), I have not yet been able to afford to buy a home in San Diego. I love this city and have been here 18 years as a hard-working, productive professional and member of the community. However, if my apartment were turned into a STVR, I would probably leave town. I have already looked at jobs in other locations. I know other similarly situated people who feel the same or who have already left.
Elderly mother was not allowed to renew lease after 3 years due to STVR conversion plans. Condo near pier.
Our immediate neighbors were long-term renters when the house (in a residential zone in Pacific Beach) was sold to a company that sets up STVRs in residential neighborhoods. After they were given the notice to move, they were unable to find another house to rent in PB due to a shortage of long-term rentals and had to move out of the area. They were a family with two young children who went to our local school. Instead of family living next door, we ended up with three long years of a loud STVR filled with strangers that are not part of our community.
I was “constructively” evicted from a rental that I had been living in for 2.5 years. From January 1, 2016 to June 1, 2016, the landlord raised the rent from $1050 to $1600 in two increments to try to push me out. I remained in the unit until October 2016, while the landlord Airbnb’d the units that had opened up in the meantime. I decided to move because I did not want to live next to short term vacationers and I knew the landlord would continue to raise the rent to push me out. The landlord is now airbnb’ing the unit I moved out of. The landlord has converted a total of 5 out of 6 beach front rentals to STVR.
Neighbors in apartment house were evicted. About 14 people lost their housing in this one building. None of them was able to find affordable housing in the beach communities.
My mother was evicted from a long term rental to allow STVR.
Neighbor, senior citizen lady was evicted so owner could rent home on AirBNB.
This is happening everywhere! But it’s not just evictions, it’s refusal to renew lease so property can be STVR.
Property was purchased by investment group who kicked us out. I was a tenant for 18yrs prior to this.
Long-time renter in Pacific Beach who was evicted from a single family home.
Coworkers had rent doubled to a ludicrous price. After they vacated their rental, owner turned unit into svtr.
“I was in a shared home on Brighton Ave and the owner ADMITTED that the reason he was moving us out was because he was converting to a STVR because he could make more income. My neighbor of 7 years across the street was also given a 60 day notice from his home of 10+ years for the same reason. The house now has different inhabitants every weekend leaving trash on the street and partying late without regard to the families that live on either side. ”
My business handles a lot of STVR “conversions” in Mission Beach, so I see it frequently every year. My wife and I rent here, and we can attest to the severe scarcity of year ’round rental inventory. If we have to vacate our residence (of 15 years!), we would likely have no option available to us to continue living in Mission Beach. I am against STVR, even though my business profits from them, and this is against my own best interests financially. In our immediate neighborhood, I estimate that fewer than 15% of the homes and apartments are occupied by full-time, permanent residents, a number that shrinks every time someone moves, or is forced out to make way for another STVR conversion.
Friend in Bird Rock was told to move due to family member moving in, but the place is now on AirB&B!
Friends of my son were renting in PB, and owner of apartment house raised the rent to an impossible number and freely admitted that he wanted them out – so he could make the building all STVRs. The couple were long-time renters at this property and now had to compete in an ever-shrinking rental market. They had to give up on living in PB.
I lived in a 16 unit complex in Ocean Beach for 6 years. When I first moved there in 2011 only 3 units were STVR, when I moved out in 2016 9 of them had become STVR. Also, my neighbors in the complex next door were all evicted and the whole complex was turned into STVR on Spray St in OB.
My neighbors received a 30 day notice in Late May for a house they had rented for 5 years – 5068 Saratoga Ave in OB. They owners had been renting out the front house 5066 for a few months thru Vacasa and wanted to accommodate larger parties. Now the three lots to the East of us are home to 6 vacation homes.
Friend of mine was evicted from her Ocean Beach residence after 3 years because owner was listing condo on AirBnB as a STVR. Know several other long-term Ocean Beach residences who have encountered similar situations.
They were given an ultimatum; either suffer a ridiculous rent increase or vacate. Then both front and back homes were changed to vacation rentals.
Yes… an apartment building we once managed in Pacific Beach was sold and converted to a STVR. We were told by the real estate agents that the existing tenants would be terminated.
I know two people who have been evicted in Ocean Beach.
Our neighbor was told to move out after the front house on her lot became a stvr the profit convinced the landlord to do the same with her house. 5068 Saratoga Ave 92107.
We were not evicted, but our rent started to be raised each year. After we bought a house and moved out in fall 2010, our home of 17 years in Windansea was converted to permanent vacation rental. The family owns 8 La Jolla homes in a family trust that used to be long-term rentals for residents and now most have been converted to vacation rentals.
Entire complex friends living in was bought to convert to STVRs.
A number of long term renters in Ocean Beach have been displaced due to the profits associated with STVR. It hurts the community businesses and schools to just become an area of beach rentals. We live in OB because we like the community.
Friend’s lease was not renewed. Owner turned the condo into an STVR.
3810 riviera drive 92109. 12 tenants evicted and replaced with STVR
“The large house next to mine was occupied by a family of long term renters. It is my understanding that they were evicted before their lease was up and were told by the owner that she could make more money using the house as an STVR business. We now have to deal with ever changing customers who engage in behavior detrimental to residential and neighborhood life.”
Friends were evicted from LJ apts.
I have a family that was just evicted in South Park because the owner is changing their home in to a STVR.
The new owner of the home next to me evicted the tenants and converted to STVR. They now short-term rent the property to accommodate 19 persons. You can only imagine the direct impact on a single family neighborhood. The street is filled with cars and parking is impossible. The noise, weekly party’s and trash is unbearable. Just wait until they move in next to you–it’s coming as profit is huge. The conversion rate is growing geometrical and these “commercial investors” will destroy single family neighborhoods for the almighty dollar. The ordinance should be simple, whole-house rentals should be for 30 days or more. This will resolve 95% of the problem and the rest we can/should be able to live with. Regards.
The house next door to ours was purchased by a VRBO investor. She evicted the existing long term tenants in order to renovate the house for vacation renters. That was two years ago and the renovation still isn’t finished. The house has been vacant the entire time.
I know several people that have been forced out of their beach rentals because the owners wish to participate in illegal hotel rentals.
Condo across from me sold, renters removed, and now they call it a bed and breakfast.
Many years ago in Newport Beach I rented a studio apartment and was evicted because the owner was able to get more money renting it weekly.
