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Denver Attorney Charged With Wrongfully Running A Short-Term Rental

DENVER (CBS4) – The District Attorney charged a man with running an illegal short-term rental on Friday accusing him of living at a different residence than the one listed for the business. The man, an attorney signed and submitted an affidavit claiming he lived at home on Raleigh Street in Denver.

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But investigators determined he actually lives at another house on Tennyson.

"We've seen a surge in short-term rental operators in the City of Denver just like you see a surge in other major cities across America," said Eric Escudero, the director of communications for the Denver's Excise and Licensing division.

The man was spotted gardening outside of the house on Tennyson in June and admitted he lived at the second location.

Neighbors at both locations spoke to a city inspector and the investigation concluded he lives at the Tennyson Street house, where he is also registered to vote, according to the DA's office.

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"Next door to them there would be a party every night and it's very loud, it's very noisy, and they want the city to step up and help," Escudero said.

The Excise and Licensing divison cannot comment on this case but oversees the regulation of short-term rentals in Denver. Escudero says his office receives three complaints a week related to short-term rentals.

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There are 2,683 active licenses in the city and compliance is at 76.3%. These homes are listed as rentals on sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

"People spend a lot of money for a home in Denver, and when they move into their home they shouldn't have a party next door every night," he said.

The city says it is trying to maintain integrity in neighborhoods and help homeowners avoid noise complaints. The policy also tries to keep business owners from buying homes and using them for short-term rentals when they could be long-term housing options for residents needing to rent in Denver.

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It requires the owner of a home to live in that residence if they want to list it for a short-term rental.

The attorney is accused of making a false statement in that notarized affidavit and faces a charge of attempting to influence a public servant, according to the district attorney's office. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 17.

"This is all a misunderstanding and I vehemently deny any wrongdoing," he said in a statement to CBS4. "I'm hoping to clear this up with the District Attorney as quickly as possible so that I can focus on my work representing the immigrant community."

Editor's note: Charges were dropped in this case and the name of the attorney which was originally included in this article -- has been removed.

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