Renting trouble? An analysis of crime and calls to police at addresses with different rental types

Abstract

Background The number of studies about crime at short-term rentals (STRs), and about crime concentration has surged in recent years, but few have bridged these literatures. This study examines crime and calls for service at STRs in relation to other rentals, hotels, and all other addresses in a university city. Methods Police circumstances, rental properties, hotels and motels, liquor licenses, and all other addresses are assessed from January 2021 through June 2023 to understand public safety at STRs compared to other address-types. Results STRs make up less than 10% of rental addresses. Police circumstances are significantly and negatively associated with both distance to campus and to liquor licenses. The maximum unrelated occupancy is positively and significantly associated with issues. STRs have greater issues for their lower maximum occupancy, but other rentals and hotels present substantially more problems on a per-address basis. Conclusion These findings highlight the scope of STR circumstances, clarify potential differences in crime versus calls for service, and suggest that on a per-address basis, both are substantially worse at hotels and longer rentals than STRs.