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Ad for 24 guests in one townhome raises concerns

Posted at 4:37 PM, Jan 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-23 21:32:36-05

A La Jolla man's discovery on vacation rental websites has him very concerned about his peace and quiet.

It's because he shares a wall with a townhouse now being advertised for up to 24 people. 

Terry Luoma has lived in the attached home on La Jolla's Draper Avenue for two decades. His unit shares a wall with a local family that moved out, and is now renting the unit on Airbnb and VRBO. 

Luoma grew concerned after seeing on the sites that the three-bedroom unit would be converted to a five-bedroom unit, with enough room to host 24 guests. 

Luoma told 10News he has held meetings with the owner, Ying Wang, and hopes that it will lead to a solution. However, in a recent letter to the La Jolla Light, he said he was worried about sharing a wall with a vacation rental large enough to host the Chargers entire starting lineup, plus the kickers. 

He said he remains concerned about excessive noise and leftover trash. 

Ian McNally, who lives in the neighborhood, said the large number of guests could also make finding a place to park an even bigger problem.

"When you start having multiple users living in what was intended to be a single family dwelling, it will impact the parking," he said. 

The property manager told 10News that the 24-guest advertisement was for flexibility, but that that there wouldn't be 24 beds. Wang, the owner, who is local, said she absolutely does not want 24 people sleeping in the unit. She had the ads adjusted downward to 16 guests.

Ronan Gray, who heads the Save San Diego Neighborhood group, says he's seen an uptick in people buying homes and converting them to mini-hotels, adding to the housing shortage.

But Wang says she is not leaving San Diego, and if there are any problems with guests, she will take care of them quickly. 

10News asked the city if there are any limits to how many guests a vacation rental can hold. Once the city responds, we will update this story.