Orlando residents question fairness, safety of apartment vacation rentals

ORLANDO, Fla. — Would you be OK with a vacation rental being in your apartment building?

Some residents at a downtown Orlando apartment complex said, “No way.”

WFTV reporter Cierra Putman is asking city leaders if this is a violation of Orlando's new home-share rules.

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In a previous decision, the city said only parts of a house can be rented out and someone has to be there during the short-stay rental.

The apartments in question are downtown and zoned for multiple uses, so short-term vacation rentals are allowed, even in a residential apartment building.

Residents at SteelHouse have to go through background checks and pay more than $1,000 a month for rent.

They started noticing ads on Airbnb that say entire apartments are for rent for $159 a night.

Nuovo is also advertising the SteelHouse units on its website.

The city calls these vacation rentals commercial dwelling units, and they are allowed in mixed-use areas of the city, like downtown, where there is a mix of residential areas and commercial businesses.

However, these rentals are required to have a business tax receipt from the city, which the city says Nuovo doesn't have.

They also need a license from the state. Nuovo has one, but it's unclear if it covers the units it's renting in Orlando.

The new management company at SteelHouse sent an email stating, “SteelHouse leases units to Nuovo to then lease out as short-term rentals and has Nuovo handle the logistics of the process, so they would be in the best position to answer your questions."

Steelhouse management did not say how many of its 300 apartments were vacation rentals and what safety precaution were put in place.

Anyone concerned over possible rental violations

can file a complaint here.