Highlighting issues for real estate tech firms, five were killed at an Airbnb the same night a drive-by shooting at an Opendoor-owned home left five injured.

Orinda, California, is poised to ban certain short-term rentals after a shooting at an Airbnb listing left five dead in the town, the town’s mayor told Inman.

The massacre, which took place on Halloween at an Airbnb rental property, highlighted how tech companies are struggling to cope with undesired uses of homes listed on their platforms. It happened the same night that a drive-by shooting injured five teenagers at a Phoenix home owned by iBuyer Opendoor, where a Halloween party was also being held.

Airbnb’s CEO pledged on Twitter to ban “party houses” after the Orinda murders, though the company released few details on how it would do so, the Los Angeles Times reported. Opendoor, meanwhile, told Inman after the drive-by shooting at one of its listings that it was cooperating with a police investigation of the incident.

But to prevent other out-of-control parties at short-term rental listings, the city council of Orinda plans to take matters into its own hands.

Council members decided Tuesday to direct city staff to introduce an “urgency ordinance” at its next meeting on Nov. 19, Orinda’s mayor, Inga Miller, told Inman by email.

The ordinance would immediately ban “non-hosted” short-term rentals — those that are not occupied by their owner — if approved by a 5-4 vote after a public hearing held during the meeting. The ordinance would be due to expire in 45 days, but could be extended up to two years.

All five council members are currently in favor of the ban, according to Miller.

City officials will also “look at a permanent ordinance revising our regulations on short term rentals more generally,” she said.

ABC7 reported previously that the city was thinking about banning short-term rentals, requiring hosts to be on site when guests are present or mandating that they stay a minimum of two nights,

“If you took a poll and went door-to-door, everyone would say, ‘ban short-term rental stays,” Don Perata, a former California state senator who lives near the home where the shooting took place, told the San Francisco Chronicle Saturday.

Yet an Orinda city council meeting held Tuesday night revealed that not everyone is in favor of slamming the door on Airbnb.

Some local Airbnb hosts who were in attendance opposed drastic action, with one citing the platform as a critical source of income for her mother.

Orinda already had a law the books that required property owners to register with the city if they plan to rent a room or home for less than 30 days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Existing municipal regulations also didn’t allow for more than 13 guests in short-term rentals of the size where the shooting took place, the Los Angeles Times reported. (More than 100 attended the party, according to the police.)

As of Monday, police had not made any arrests in connection with the shooting at the Airbnb rental, according to USA Today. The Orinda city police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Email Teke Wiggin.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from Orinda, Calif.’s mayor, Inga Miller. 

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×