Got a complaint about illegal or noisy Airbnbs? Lexington now has 24/7 complaint hotline
Lexington has launched a hotline for neighbors concerned about noisy or illegal short-term rentals.
The city hopes the new tool will help it elevate its enforcement but also separate unsubstantiated complaints for actual violations of the city’s short-term rental ordinance.
“We have seen a dramatic increase in STRs (short-term rentals) in neighborhoods across Lexington,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “The hotline/online reporting option gives concerned neighbors an avenue to submit complaints about parties, noise, or other violations of the law.”
Individuals who wish to file a complaint can call 859-710-9048 or visit https://secure.hostcompliance.com/lexington-fayette-urban-county-ky/complaints/type. The hotline and online tool will be available 24 hours a day.
Notifications will be sent to property owners so they are aware of concerns regarding activities at their properties. Unregistered STR units may be subject to fines for operating in violation of a city ordinance.
The city has approximately 729 short-term rentals registered and licensed with the city. The city first passed ordinances regulating short-term rentals in July 2023. The rules took effect in January.
The city is in the process of tweaking those regulations after hearing repeated complaints from neighborhoods who say there are too many Airbnbs, VRBOs on certain streets. Some of the changes being considered include spacing and density restrictions so certain neighborhoods are not overrun with short-term rentals.
The hotline also will help the city detect unregistered or illegally operating short-term rentals, said Wes Holbrook, the director of revenue for the city. Revenue oversees enforcement of short-term rentals.
“The hotline and on-line reporting tool will help LFUCG track and monitor any violations of our ordinance as neighbors report them,” he said.
“With our compliance tool, people can submit documentation that will help us identify any new or remaining unregistered units, verify suspected violations, and track continuing issues across a single dashboard.”
