Since its inception in 2017 the City of Norfolk’s short term rental (STR) program has allowed for rapid growth of STR’s in Ocean View’s Coastal Character District.  While this growth has afforded some property owners the benefits of generating extra income from STR and increased tourist activity has surely helped support the expansion of local businesses, not all impacts have been positive.  Thus, the East Ocean View Civic League, along with the residents who sign below, are asking the City of Norfolk to implement additional measures to safeguard the quality of life, preserve property values, and ensure the safety of all who enjoy Norfolk’s Ocean View neighborhoods.

Concerns:

• Rapid increase in the number of unregistered and unregulated STR properties
• Lack of code enforcement for property maintenance and required parking provisions for STR’s
• Inability of residents and adjacent property owners to both report and achieve resolution of violation of STR code violations
• Inability of residents and adjacent property owners to attain immediate relief from nuisance issues such as excessive noise, illegal parking, and overflow garbage.

Solutions:

• Increase the number of city staff dedicated solely to investigating and issuing civil penalties for unregistered STR properties
• Dedicate city staff to inspect registered STR properties for outdoor property maintenance violations at least once a month
• Establish a STR hotline, staffed 24 hours a day, for residents to report nuisance behaviors such as excessive noise
• Dedicate city staff to immediately respond to reports of nuisance behaviors and document the issue
• Require an annual review of each STR operating license and revoke the license of any property owner with more than three validated nuisance behavior complaints
• Limit the number of people permitted to gather at a STR to no more than those who are registered as guests plus an additional person for each guest