INDIANAPOLIS — Neighbors fed up with problems at short-term rentals are taking action.
We're talking about homes rented through Airbnb or Vrbo that go against the rules and end up with big parties, even violence.
Short-term rentals are extremely popular in Indianapolis.
According to data from AirDNA, which tracks these properties, the number of short-term rentals in Indianapolis was up 50% in February compared to February 2022.
But it's those problem rentals that neighbors are worried about.
In Fountain Square at 2:00 a.m. last Sunday, neighbors awoke to an out-of-control party near their homes.
"We just hear a lot of people yelling and the yelling just kept getting louder and louder," one neighbor said.
The party in a short-term rental, she said, led to chaos, fights, even people pulling weapons.
"It was violent. It was dangerous," she said. "I personally saw someone hiding behind a neighbor's fence with a gun drawn."
The property, listed on Vrbo, says clearly on the listing it "prohibits parties" and limits guests to eight.
But when several neighbors called 911 and police responded, security cameras captured a mass exodus.
"There were clearly more than eight people in there. When the police arrived, it was like cockroaches spreading. There was literally over 50 people yelling, screaming, going running into their cars or property."
Neighbors say it's not the first time or the first rental to get out of control.
And they've found getting a host or guest banned isn't easy.
One neighbor has made multiple complaints through Vrbo, but without a police report, hasn't been able to get the company to take action.
No police report was filed when officers cleared the area last week because no crime was committed while police were on scene.
But people who live in the area say with persistent problems, something needs to be done.
"Not all rentals are bad. But some of them do become party houses and sometimes it escalates to shootings and we had a shooting in our own alleyway last summer. Police had to be called again," said Dakota Pawlicki, who is on the board of the Fountain Square Neighborhood Association.
"I do think there is a problem with short-term rentals," another neighbor said. "There's a lack of regulation."
State statute does limit local regulations that target or track short-term rentals.
Still, a spokesperson for the city of Indianapolis tells 13News "the City has been engaged with community members regarding safety and nuisance concerns around these properties, and we are identifying ways to use our existing tools to address them.”
Right now, Fountain Square is partnering with other neighborhood associations in Marion County, creating its own solution, where people can flag problem properties, with an online form to report and gather data.
"The city agencies have told us that they don't have any systematic way of tracking short-term rental issues. So...we've launched our own," Pawlicki said. "Document, you know, those routine, kind of repeat offenders, really negligent properties and also document the true scale of what's going on. The city's hands are tied until they aren't. It does come down to political will and the first step is to really document and visualize what's going on."
Pawlicki said 40 reports have been made already.
They plan to share the data with city leaders, in hopes of preventing more problems at rentals near their homes, specifically rentals that are repeat offenders.
"It's just a matter of building a stronger coalition of folks, collecting the data and then bringing it to them and working with them as partners," Pawlicki explained, "and say, 'Let's make some reasonable, common sense changes here.'"
13News reached out to the host of the Vrbo and has not heard back.