Bellbrook resident urges council to address short-term rentals after repeated yard parking and late-night noise

Regan Ross, a Bellbrook resident of 14 West South Street, told the Bellbrook City Council on May 27 that tenants at a nearby multiunit property have repeatedly parked in his yard, left trash and made noise late at night. Ross said he and his wife have lived in the neighborhood for decades and that the apparent short-term rentals began after the property changed hands about two years ago.

Ross described finding vehicles with temporary tags parked on his property, waking at about 2:30 a.m. to people talking outside and calling police on one occasion. “I went out and said, you know move your truck… I called the police. The officer came, had him move it,” Ross said. He said the landlord told him the tenants had been “thoroughly vetted,” which Ross took to mean the reservation payment had cleared, not that there had been background or behavior screening.

The remarks prompted council discussion about local rules for short-term rentals. Mayor Schweller noted the city’s existing ordinance requires a minimum rental period intended to limit very-short stays; council members referred repeatedly to a 25-day (sometimes stated as 26-day) minimum that the city previously adopted to reduce party-style rentals. “In order to your comment about shorter term, that was one of the reasons we enacted this legislation,” Mayor Schweller said, describing earlier problems with graduation parties and leftover trash.

Council members and the city manager discussed possible next steps. Councilwoman Cyphers suggested a registration and licensing process so city staff could identify owners and have a point of contact for complaints. City manager Rob said staff and the police had spoken with the tenant household and were tracking complaints; he also noted resource limits in staffing. “We maybe think about doing that. At least we know who the owner is of the property,” Mayor Schweller said in the public discussion.

Councilmembers also referred to an example document from the village of Waynesville outlining registration and licensing steps for short-term rentals. A council member observed that local lodging tax collection could be part of a regulatory process. Several members said they would consider options including registration, licensing, and revising the minimum-stay ordinance, but no formal direction or ordinance change was adopted at the meeting.

Police and zoning officers were reported to have engaged with the property; a city officer told Ross the tenants had indicated they planned to leave at the end of the month and that enforcement would escalate if they did not. Ross said he had placed a fence post to block vehicle access to his yard after the incident.

The issue arose during the public-comments portion of the special meeting. Councilmembers thanked Ross for coming forward and said staff would research registration and enforcement models and return to council with options for regulating short-term rentals and addressing related complaints.