A San Diego City Council committee approved a proposal to help residents control the number of so-called "mini dorms” near San Diego State University.
The term mini-dorm is used to describe single family homes that are leased to a large number of tenants.
Also called high turnover, high occupancy rentals (HTHO), more than 700 mini-dorms have been reported in the College Area near SDSU.
Bunk beds are used to convert a two-bedroom home into a rental for seven to 10 college students. There have been reports of groups of students sleeping in garages.
The most common complaints range from parking violations to excessive trash or noise.
The College Area Community Council has said that 37 percent of those homes are owned by large businesses looking to profit from the loophole in city code.
In a report released earlier this year, CACC claims that many violators are not being caught.
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The community group says landlords will often tell tenants not to be truthful with the city to avoid paying for code violations.
The Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee met Thursday and approved a proposal to draft new language into the city’s Rooming House Ordinance (RHO).
Since the RHO was approved in 2008, city officials say it has been difficult to enforce because of a difference in language between the ordinance and other city codes.
The ordinance will now define a rooming house as having three or more rooms, excluding kitchens and bathrooms, rented individually or separately to multiple tenants under separate rental agreements either written or oral.
Thursday's committee vote will move the proposal to the full council for approval.
