After deadly house party shootings, some wonder if city’s rules on short-term rentals are working

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you own a short-term rental in Memphis and allow it to be rented out for parties, you could find yourself in environmental court.

Over the last eight months, parties at five Midtown vacation rentals turned violent after someone pulled out a gun. Three people were killed in the shootings, and two were wounded.

The most recent shooting happened during a graduation party at a short-term rental on Felix in the Cooper-Young area early Monday.

Robbyn Abedi lives three doors down from the property and said he was afraid something like that was going to happen.

“I was sound asleep upstairs, and my wife, I think, heard a scream, and she called 911. I guess it was around 12:15 a.m. when it happened, and then, of course, police came immediately,” he said.

Abedi said at least three vacation rentals have popped up on his street over the last few years. He said the noise and revolving door of guests coming and going has been unsettling.

“There’s always people walking in the neighborhood. I’m used to that, but it’s just having strangers. You know, I’ll walk on my front porch and regularly have someone I don’t know right next to me,” said Abedi. “I have two kids.”

Last year, the Memphis City Council amended its short-term rental ordinance to help manage vacation rentals. New short-term rental owners are now required to get a permit for every property they own.

The ordinance requires renters to be at least 18 years old and an ID of an adult, entity, or business “responsible party” residing or located within 50 miles of the short-term rental to respond to alleged code and zoning violations.

Those with established short-term rentals in the city before the ordinance was enacted were grandfathered in without any new regulations.

The director of Memphis Public Works said there is a limitation on what properties can be used for in a residential area, and a party house is considered a zoning violation.

“Zoning enforcement goes out and sites them, and if they do it again, they go to court,” said Public Works Director Robert Knecht. “They also work with police because typically, these are other violations, like noise coming to play.”

Knecht said there is no way to know how many short-term rentals are in Memphis. He said 70 permits had been issued over the last year, and no permits have been revoked so far.

“There are size limits. I think it’s four bedrooms. You are required to register and keep a registration active. Code enforcement on our side enforces it. So, we do inspections to make sure it’s in compliance with the housing codes, and they have to pay the fee. Then there’s a renewal option,” said Knecht.

Residents like Abedi aren’t sure the ordinance is doing any good and said more regulations are needed to keep neighborhoods like Midtown safe.

“I know there are people who don’t have this problem in other parts of town. They run great Airbnbs. It just seems to be something about how it happens in Midtown, downtown, and in other parts. I don’t know what the solution is. That’s the part that gets frustrating,” he said.

Police have released video of a white 2012 Chevrolet Traverse fleeing the scene of the shooting on Felix. If you have any information that can help investigators, call CrimeStoppers at (901)528-CASH

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.