A Denver couple, Alexander Neir, 45, and his wife Stacy Neir 43, have been charged with running an illegally Airbnb rental business at two locations which were not the primary residence. The two live in Stapleton, but they had false documents claiming that the two rentals are their primary residence. They are accused of signing Affidavits for a primary rental residence in the Berkeley neighborhood and another one in the north of Broncos Stadium at Mile High close to Jefferson Park. Industry watchers believe that this move should be a wakeup call for those who might be breaking the rules.
The 2016 city short-term rental regulation states that only a person who permanently stays in a residence is allowed to use it as a short-term rental. Apparently, the Neirs signed an Affidavit claiming that they lived full time in the two properties, but investigators reported that the couple actually lived in Stapleton where Stacy Neir is a block captain in the neighborhood.
The DA’s office said that following an investigation by Denver police, authorities learned that the Jefferson Park home and The Berkeley home were being used as short-term rentals since 2016 and 2013 respectively.
The affidavit lists Alexander as a managing broker at Kentwood Real Estate and his wife as a broker associate of the same company. The two have each been charged with an attempt to influence a public servant. Speaking through their attorney, Daniel Recht, the couple believes that the prosecution is misguided. But, the lawyer remains confident that his clients will receive a fair ruling once he presents all the facts to the court.
James Carlson, a realtor in Denver and who gives lessons on how to be a successful Airbnb host seems to agree that the charges are escalated, but he says the city has been trying to move in that direction. He says that this move was no surprise since many people have been breaking that law for a while now, and it was only a matter of time before the city began taking action. ‘While the city has been pushing people to comply, this move should warn everyone who flouts this law.” Carlson said.
The city, through their spokesperson Eric Escudero, says that majority of complaints they receive are those which homeowners flaunt Denver’s short term rental residency requirements. He admits that there are people who rent them illegally and that it’s an issue they are following up very closely.