Bloomingdale to revise guidelines on short-term rentals

Bloomingdale is revising its short-term rental guidelines to make them fairer for property owners.

Last December, village trustees approved an ordinance that requires anyone booking a short-term rental property in Bloomingdale to rent it for at least 30 days. The ordinance also requires short-term rental properties to be registered with the village.

The changes came after a shooting last summer at a rental house in neighboring Roselle.

Since the ordinance was approved, Bloomingdale has received feedback from property owners who say the regulations were an "overreach" on the part of the village, according to Village Administrator Peter Scalera.

Scalera said the village board examined policies used in neighboring communities to help address the concerns.

By June 14, the registration fee for property owners will be $125 a year, rather than the previous amount of $500. In addition, property owners will no longer need to submit a tenant's personal information to the village.

Finally, the village has dropped a requirement that properties have a custodian on-site. Instead, village officials will communicate with the property owner.

"This is a better system because it provides us with direct contact with property owners," Scalera said. "We don't need to spin our wheels trying to figure out the problem."

The 30-day rental requirement will remain in place. Scalera said it makes property owners more accountable.

The shooting in Roselle occurred in June 2020 on Picton Road at an Airbnb-listed property. One man was killed and six others were injured. No arrests have been made, and authorities say the investigation is ongoing.