Rental laws in Edmonds could change soon, after a series of loud, drunken parties at a 10-bedroom mansion off Talbot Road drew police attention and citizen complaints.
A proposal before the City Council on Nov. 3 would make it illegal for landlords to rent out homes in single-family neighborhoods for less than 30 days at a time, officials said.
This summer, the Greek-columned mansion in the 8000 block of Cyrus Place regularly hosted large parties. Unruly guests sometimes kept neighbors awake until 5 a.m.
Earlier this year, the homeowner, John Ryan of Lynnwood, started advertising the mansion as a rental on Web sites like Craigslist for prices as low as $695 a night in a “desperate” attempt to pay the house’s $18,000 a month mortgage, Ryan said.
Police were called seven different times in a two month period, from June through August. Officers found underage drinking, outdoor wedding receptions and uncooperative guests, according to police documents.
Ryan has struggled to find a buyer for the house, which he bought in 2006 for $1.9 million.
Ryan has apologized for the parties. He said he has become a more strict landlord, but he needs to pay his mortgage.
Neighbors are tired of apologies, and they should not have to rely on police enforcement in the future, Mayor Gary Haakenson said.
“They are asking for some sort of relief,” said Haakenson, who received a petition signed by 38 concerned residents. “We just are not going to allow those neighborhood disrupting activities in a residential neighborhood.”
The new rules will allow city code enforcement officers to intervene before parties started, said Duane Bowman, the city’s director of development services.
Still, the proposed changes concern some other Edmonds-area landlords, they said.
“I would be very upset (if the city adopted the proposal),” said Jim Wilkinson, a real estate agent who owns two downtown properties he typically rents out to older couples.
Most of his tenants stay for more than a week visiting friends, and some stay for months as they look to buy permanent homes in the area. But Wilkinson makes money from short-term rentals, too, he said.
“It might be the minority of my business, but it is something I am counting on, and it is something I want to do,” said Wilkinson, who invested between $80,000 and $100,000 on his properties earlier this year.
Another homeowner, who did not want to be identified, rents out a single-family home in Edmonds during the summer, when the homeowner is out-of-town.
The house is usually rented for one week at a time, the homeowner said. This summer it was rented out for eight weeks.
“Absolutely, this rule would effect me,” said the homeowner, who has family members watch the property when it is being rented. “They greet the renters. They are on call. And we haven’t had any police come to the house.”
Catching innocent property-owners in the crossfire is a real concern, said Councilmember DJ Wilson.
He’s opposed to new rules which would harm responsible property owners, he said.
“If there is public drunkenness, call the police. If there is a noise violation, call the police,” Wilson said. “I want to make sure that we do not damage anybody who is playing by the rules, just because we are trying to respond to one bad actor.”
That’s a concern of the purported bad actor, too.
After a particularly large wedding party in August, Ryan stopped advertising his mansion as a place for events or parties, and he’s tried to limit rentals to older families.
But if Edmonds adopts the proposed changes, that will limit further his ability to pay his mortgage, which he is already two months behind on, Ryan said.
“I am worried about it. I am,” he said. “But I cannot say that without also saying I understand.”
Still, he also feels the pain of other property owners who could feel the pinch.
“I think it is a bad idea. This is an unusual (situation). But they are going to hurt some other people,” he said. “They should not be hurting everyone else because of my mistakes.”
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
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