Elburn officials approve short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods

The Elburn Village Hall is currently also home to the Elburn Police Department.

Airbnb properties now may be allowed in Elburn residential neighborhoods as long as they are approved as a special use on a case-by-case basis.

The Village Board on Monday approved changes to an ordinance created in November 2022 regulating “short-term rentals” to include those outside of business areas in town, provided it is approved by the Elburn Plan Commission and the Village Board as a special use.

When the Village Board began its discussions last year regarding options for allowing short-term rentals, its initial thought was they shouldn’t be allowed in a residential neighborhood. Several of the trustees said they thought it wouldn’t be fair to the neighbors.

When the village became aware that there have been two Airbnb properties in a residential neighborhood near the downtown area since August and November of last year, Village President Jeff Walter said they ended up meeting with the owners, Luke Goucher and Brandon Harris, to find out more about their operations.

Walter said they found out that Airbnb does background checks for the owners on all of the guests before they arrive, and Goucher and Harris’ rentals have rules set up for guests to follow while they’re there such as a noise rule after a certain time and how many people can stay there.

“They’re already up and running. They’ve been around for awhile without any issues,” Walter said.

Since they have been in operation, guests have included people in town to attend a wedding, management from a business located in Elburn coming for a meeting, a couple whose home was going through a remodeling project and a resident who was recovering from hip surgery and needed a place to stay without stairs for a few weeks.

Walter said Goucher told village officials that the guests are all carefully vetted, their Airbnb properties have been well-received by neighbors and their occupancy rates have been higher than 85%. Goucher also has Airbnb properties in nearby towns.

Elburn resident Jaime Sundblade and her husband, James, had a number of concerns and questions about short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods in Elburn during the public comment period.

One question was about what recourse the village has if the short-term rental doesn’t work out.

“What if they become a nuisance?” Jaime Sundblade asked.

The first thing a neighbor can do is to call the police, Walter said. If the rental becomes a problem, the village can revoke the special use, basically shutting down the business, he said.

Walter said weddings are a big reason why people would want to book an Airbnb. He said that between Fisherman’s Inn and Lions Club Park, there are several weddings in the area.

“And there’s no place for people to stay in town,” he said.