Neighbors outraged over OKC rental property operating without required license for over a year
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)- In the last year, northwest Oklahoma City neighbors have noticed dozens of news faces coming and going on one property without a clue why.
Lisa Austin guesstimates there have been about 60 different people visiting the home next to her.
She always wondered why, but didn't start digging into her own question until this month.
To her surprise, the property was listed as an Airbnb rental.
According to the property's listing, it has been available since at least April 2021.
Roughly 110 guests have also stayed at the home, according to reviews.
"I did report that to the Oklahoma City code enforcement office. They pretty quickly issued a citation for this property," said Austin.
KFOR attempted to confirm whether a citation was issued on November 23, but no one with the City of Oklahoma City was available.
Austin told KFOR she also reached out OKC Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper for help.
She sent Cooper links to the property as well as 25 others who have Greenway Homes, LLC listed as the property owner.
According to the Oklahoma County Assessor's page, Greenway Homes, LLC owns 30 homes in the area.
"I have security concerns. I have safety concerns. I have just general business concerns," added Austin.
Cooper's office told Austin in an email, "Unfortunately, the City does not have the resources to proactively research possible illegal home shares. We depend on citizens, like yourself, to make us aware of what address(es) to investigate."
Austin also received a letter from the Oklahoma City Board of Adjustment revealing Greenway Homes, LLC has now requested a home sharing license.
There will be a public meeting to discuss and consider the home sharing license on December 1 at 1:30 p.m.
"Oklahoma Citians deserve better and I hope we can get this resolved," said Austin.
Austin has also notified Airbnb about the situation in which they told her they're investigating her claims.
Austin said she has yet to hear back from the company.
News 4 has reached out to Airbnb's media team for a statement, but haven't heard back yet.
We've also reached out to Greenway Homes, LLC's owner, Jimmey Green last week.
He said he would get back in touch with KFOR, but he hasn't done so yet.
To obtain a home sharing license, visit the City of Oklahoma City's website.
When home sharing, a 5.5% hotel tax is owed to the City.
The property owner is also required to file monthly tax reports.
According to the City's website, they have an agreement with Airbnb to collect and remit hotel taxes and file monthly tax reports on behalf of its hosts.
A home sharing license costs $24/year.