CINCINNATI — In the immediate aftermath of a shooting on Fosdick Street that left a man dead and sent what witnesses called dozens of teens running from a short-term rental, neighbors called for accountability and new rules to make sure that something similar couldn't happen again.
Property owner Mark Williams said the home was "instant booked" for a single night three days before the check-in date.
"Which does raise a red flag to a degree," Williams said.
The owner said he tries to avoid renting to someone from the 513 area code for a single night because of the potential for someone to use the property for parties.
Williams said the "instant book" through Booking.com, however, didn't allow him to vet the renter, unlike systems used by sites like VRBO and AirBnB, and he didn't want to cancel the appointment and face penalization from the website.
"When the booking is an instant booking and you cannot cancel until you have justifiable cause to cancel, I'm not sure what else you can do," he said.
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Several members of Cincinnati City Council said they were looking into law changes within city limits to regulate short-term rentals.
"The initial reaction is that it's far too frequent," said councilwoman Meeka Owens.
Owens's concern was backed by councilman Scotty Johnson.
"We have to make sure that they're being rented by people who have some level of responsibility and accountability," Johnson said.
The accountability, he said, could mean renters are punished for facilitating a party, but the exact details of a law change are under discussion.
Owens said she was looking at potential policy changes like how noise complaints and other nuisance laws are handled.
She did stress, however, that the council would need to balance the need to support businesses in any change they make.
"You want to be a place, a city, where people can enjoy all of the amenities that a city like Cincinnati can offer and being able to immerse yourself in the culture," she said.
City officials said the biggest tool available to people right now is the 311 non-emergency complaint number.
Officials said every complaint filed under the 311 system is entered into a database allowing departments like code enforcement, fire and police to focus on problem areas.
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