Lexington launches hotline for short-term rental complaints
City unveils new way to report issues against rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Residents in Lexington now have a dedicated way to file complaints against short-term rental properties like Airbnb and Vrbo.
The city introduced a 24/7 hotline at 859-710-9048 and an online reporting form to address issues such as noise disturbances or unlicensed properties.
“This is going to allow us one centralized place to gather that evidence, and then research it and potentially issue citations for violations of the ordinance,” said Wesley Holbrook, Director of Revenue for the City of Lexington.
The online form lets users specify the type of complaint, the property’s location, and additional details. Officials tell ABC 36 they have received complaints about unlicensed rentals and problems with registered units, including noise and parties.
“Since we’ve seen the ordinance go into place and become effective of January of this year, we’ve seen a handful of complaints,” Holbrook said. “A lot of what we’ve seen is units operating without a license. For the units that are registered, we’ll see a handful of complaints related to parties, noise, maybe some other potential violations of the ordinance.”
One local short-term rental owner explained they have adopted stricter guest screening measures, such as reviewing guest ratings, avoiding guest who may already live in the area, and enforcing guest limits.
City officials say that the hotline and online form are open 24/7.
