BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Violent incidents at Airbnb rentals, including a deadly shooting in Bath Township last month, have raised questions about how digital rental platforms police their sites — and whether local bans are effective.
Bath Township shooting
Eighteen-year-old Elijah Wells died after being shot eight times at a Bath Township mansion.
“My world has been shattered,” said Alicia Wells, Elijah’s mother.
Police said the property had been rented through Airbnb for a birthday party — despite the township’s ban on short-term rentals.
Instead of a celebration, it became a chaotic crime scene.
Police said multiple guns were fired. Nine people were injured, including Wells.
Bath Township Police Chief and Town Administrator Vito Sinopoli said the township is unable to hold the property owner or rental platform accountable.
“That’s a huge challenge for us,” he said. “We don’t have a great deal of enforcement mechanisms because we’re a township.”
News 5 contacted the owner of the Bath Township mansion. She hung up before we could ask whether she was aware of the township’s rules.
What we found
News 5 Investigators wanted to find out how easy it is for digital rental platforms and hosts to ignore local ordinances and restrictions.
We checked listings on Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com, which dominate the online booking market.
We found listings on each of their sites in local municipalities that have banned or restricted short-term rentals, including Bay Village, Shaker Heights, and Strongsville.
Rob Fischer, director of the Center on Poverty and Community Development at Case Western Reserve University, said it shows that their systems are not working very well.
He said users should expect the hosts and sites to follow local rules.
"They should be expecting that the properties that list with them are complying with local ordinances," Fischer said.
Banning bans
Not everyone supports bans on short-term rentals.
Ohio Senator Andrew Brenner (R - District 19) introduced legislation that would prevent such restrictions.
He said criminal activity and nuisances at short-term rental properties are rare.
He said he owns a handful of short-term rentals — and carefully screens potential renters.
"The amount that go on in the short-term rentals is a fraction of a percentage of anything that you see on a daily basis in the Cleveland Metro area," Brenner said.
Brenner said the bill would still allow municipalities to regulate health, safety, and welfare, collect bed taxes on short-term rentals, and grandfather in existing regulations.
Multiple municipalities, including Bath Township, oppose Brenner's proposal, which they said removes their ability to restrict the properties in their communities.
"Our goal really is simple," Sinopoli said. "To ensure that our residential neighborhoods remain safe, stable, and residential neighborhoods."
Seeking solutions
Since the November shooting, Sinopoli has asked Summit County for help enforcing the township's restrictions on short-term rental ordinances. He said townships do not have as much enforcement power as towns or cities, and a county ordinance would have more teeth.
The suspects in that shooting were indicted Dec. 16 on murder and felonious assault charges. According to court records, Derquan Edwards, 18, and Jashawn Stewart, 19, are each charged with two counts of murder and 10 counts of felonious assault. Each count also carries a 3-year firearm specification.
RELATED: 2 men indicted for Bath Township party shooting that left 1 dead, multiple injured
Sinopoli said that investigators from the Bath Township Police Department, Akron Police Department, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service arrested Edwards at a residence in New Philadelphia on Nov. 14.
According to Sinopoli, Edwards's arrest stemmed from an Akron Police investigation involving a stolen gun. During that investigation, evidence tied Edwards to the shooting in Bath Township.
Watch:
RELATED: Bath Township Police announce 3 arrests in Airbnb party shooting case
On Nov. 18, Akron Police arrested Stewart in connection with a vehicle pursuit. A firearm was recovered during his arrest, Sinopoli said. Stewart is also the subject of two other shooting investigations, as well as a third involving a stolen vehicle, according to Sinopoli. Evidence in those investigations tied Stewart to the Bath Township shooting.
A 16-year-old male who was present during Edwards's arrest was also arrested on Nov. 19 on charges related to the shooting. The teen is being held in a juvenile detention facility in Akron. He's charged with one count of delinquency to commit murder and nine counts of delinquency to commit felonious assault.
This incident was a tragic and senseless act of violence that left many injured and also resulted in the loss of life,” Sinopoli said in a statement. “Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families and all who were impacted."
Airbnb response
Airbnb did not respond to questions about how it polices its site or verify hosts follow local rules.
Instead, a company spokesperson sent us the following statement:
“We are heartbroken by this senseless act of gun violence, and our thoughts are with the injured victims and all those affected by it. Unauthorized and disruptive gatherings are strictly prohibited on Airbnb and our Safety team acted immediately to remove the account of the individual who deliberately broke those rules by booking this stay. Our law enforcement response team is in contact with the chief of Bath Township Police Department to assist their ongoing investigation to ensure those responsible for this terrible incident are brought to justice.”
VRBO and Booking.com did not respond to our requests for comment.
