Extended home, sharing permit Los Angeles

[Kristen716]

Hey All:

I've held an extended home sharing permit with the city of Los Angeles for the past three years. I had trouble renewing last year as I could not receive confirmation from the system that my payment and request had gone through.

Finally months after it expired, and numerous phone calls and emails later I received confirmation that I was renewed. Just poof! out of the blue. I was very relieved. 

This year the situation is quite different. First of all I received no reminder to renew from the city. In fact I received no emails from them at all after January 10 of this year. It was almost as if I was taken out of their system. When I attempted to renew this year, my renewal would not go through. I repeatedly called them emailed them and tried to get a response, but the permit ended up expiring and Airbnb immediately removed me off platform. 

I finally resorted to calling my city council office to have them intervene. They helped a bit, as I received an email from City Planning telling me to reapply for a regular permit And once my application is accepted that they would waive the 60 day waiting period  to apply for an extended home sharing permit. This is small consolation, as I'm unable to even get my regular home sharing permit request to go through is it will not allow me to upload my license! Has any had this issue?

I resorted to signing up for the LA City Planning Department's online appointments service. I know these are meant for large city planning projects, but I'm hoping to get someone to meet with me. First available was September 17 at 2 PM so I have to wait quite a while. I'm losing income while I just sit here and try to get this taken care of.

If anyone else has had any luck, please let me know. Help! I'm losing income by the day!

Thanks so much, Kristen 

[Elisa]

Hi @Kristen716 😊

I'm sorry about this situation!

Have you found any answers in the meantime? I'll mention some hosts from Los Angeles here who might be able to help you: @Armond3, @Danielle513  and @Colby67 .

Thank you in advance everyone! 

Warm regards🌻, 

[Danielle513]

Hi @Kristen716 

I have issues every year with the LA City Planning Department.  It's an absolute nightmare dealing with them and it's clear that the city takes our tax money but does not provide adequate services or staffing.  I'm going through the same thing again right now and I am sure it will take until late Fall to resolve if it ever does.  I'm this close to pulling my ADU off of Air Bnb and renting it out as a therapist's office or something of that ilk.  

Good luck to both of us and please keep the community posted.

[Joey28]

@Danielle513 How do you Airbnb your ADU? I’ve heard lots of people say contradicting information where you can if you say it’s your primary residence, and others that say it can’t be done. 

I am about to build an adu, but have been wondering if it might be smarter to extend my home out and at the tail end make a sort of master bedroom with a private entrance. Then add a microwave, toaster oven, fridge etc. Lastly, a laundry room would sit between this master bedroom/guest unit and the rest of my home. 

Since that would be my primary residence, technically I am only renting a “room” in my house. This avoid utility splits as well as various permits and the ADU restrictions on Airbnb as well as RSO on my main home. 

just curious if you wouldn’t mind sharing your opinion as to whether than might be a cleaver move or if I am missing something? 

Additional info, I co host Airbnbs for a living and have for a decade and I have a guesthouse on my property that got flagged by code enforcement so I have to correct it with the city. Either A. Make it a legal adu permitted to todays standards or B. Take it down and build a new one OR extend my home as I suggested above. A bulk of my income was lost when they flagged my guesthouse and I’d like to gain that back. 

Thanks! 

[Romi308]

Hi Kristen! I'm going through this now, any tips? What ended up happening?