Schaumburg trustees divided on tighter regulations or ban on short-term rentals
Schaumburg's regulation of short-term home rentals began with one luxurious backyard treehouse eight years ago, but a divided village board now is pondering whether stronger rules or even a ban may be called for on the market that's developed since.
A belief that house parties hosted in short-term rentals are more likely to get out of hand topped the list of concerns raised by some village trustees.
A 29-year-old Maywood man was killed and several other partygoers were wounded when as many as 65 bullets were fired from eight guns during a June 2020 party at a short-term rental in neighboring Roselle.
Roselle stepped up its regulation of short-term rentals after the party.
Restrictions or bans on short-term rentals also are on the books in West Chicago, Palatine, Bloomingdale, Rosemont, Vernon Hills and other suburbs. Des Plaines officials recently resumed discussion of stronger regulations as well.
Concerns in Schaumburg have evolved as the market has, with some single-family homes now owned by limited liability companies specifically as short-term rentals, Trustee Mark Madej said.
"I had some constituents talk to me about their neighborhoods," he said. "I want to keep our neighborhoods family-friendly. ... Even if they're not doing anything wrong, it's just not right for a family-friendly community."
Madej added he would have no problem with extended rentals of a month or more, but finds no need to allow short-term stays in a village with 30 hotels.
Trustee George Dunham said he no longer supports short-term home rentals and no longer believes allowing them does anything to enhance the community.
But Mayor Tom Dailly expressed concern that a ban would drive hosts underground and make it harder to inspect and regulate. He prefers to keep licensing them, but perhaps with an increase of the fee.
Trustee Esha Patel suggested increasing the minimum rental time from 20 hours to three or four days.
Trustee Brian Bieschke defended both the practice of short-term rentals and the village's track record of monitoring them. He said it's untrue to characterize them as of no benefit, as they are another way of bringing visitors to Schaumburg and its businesses.
Bieschke noted a report listing 41 short-term rentals in the village, with probably just a few more undercover among Schaumburg's approximately 12,500 single-family homes. The rentals had generated 75 calls for service by police or inspectors over a 20-month period.
Board members took no action regarding their discussion other than to defer the rest of it to their committee meeting in January, by which time village staff would likely have more background information to share.