I do not want the City of Evanston to permit the rentals of homes and rooms of homes to transient guests in residential areas.
Why is this important?
An increasing number of Evanston homeowners currently offer rooms of their homes, or their entire homes, for rent on the internet on a short term basis, nights and weekends. The City of Evanston regulations currently prohibit homeowners in residential neighborhoods (e.g., R1 zoned districts) from renting out rooms of one’s home to transient guests. The City does not enforce this law. For at least 5 months now, a group of concerned neighbors in Evanston have been asking the City to enforce its laws. The City has refused to do so. Instead, the City responded by announcing its intention to craft legislation that would allow residents to rent out rooms to people for as little as 24 hours.
We are law-abiding, tax-paying, voting citizens of Evanston who are opposed to these illegal rooming houses that are spreading in our town through the use of advertisements on craigslist, airbnb.com, and many other websites that promote overnight room rentals to the world at large. The rooming houses are affecting our property values and they threaten our security and the safety of Evanston children. NO ONE WHO RENTS OUT ROOMS IN THEIR HOME BY THE NIGHT CAN ADEQUATELY SCREEN TENANTS FOUND ON THE INTERNET FOR CHILD PREDATORS OR CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS. Please sign this petition to show our elected politicians that we are opposed to illegal rooming houses that will change the character of our neighborhoods forever.
