Book ’em: Hermosa Beach prepares to crack down on short-term rentals
Illustration by Keith Robinson Michael Tortmann lives in Dortmund, Germany, but has been vacationing in the South Bay for years. He likes having access to the urban amenities of Los Angeles, while still laying his head down to the sound of crashing surf. Earlier this year, Tortmann and three friends booked business class tickets for a two-week trip to the South Bay in early October. Like always, Tortmann and his friends made their lodging arrangements at a short-term rental in Hermosa Beach. But in late May, Tortmann received a phone call from the person handling his October rental. The city, he was told, had banned short-term rentals in residential areas. Tortmann was so surprised at the news that at first he thought he was being told a joke. But his confusion quickly turned into frustration. “Why didn’t they say, ‘From this point on, you can’t take bookings of [fewer than] 30 days’?” Tortmann said. “If something is impacting the future, then you can plan around it. But now, we’ve booked everything.” (Tortmann did not say how much he and his friends had spent on flights, but an Expedia search of business class flights from Cologne to LAX in early October shows a per ticket price…
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