CHARLOTTE — Charlotte code enforcement was denied entry into a south Charlotte home undergoing a conversion into an Airbnb, Councilman Ed Driggs says.
The home is on Cliffside Drive in the Olde Heritage neighborhood, offering rooms at rates that haven’t been seen widely across the Queen City in years.
The home’s former owner, Jordan Keesee, says the buyer, Pratik Joshi, told him it would be a home for his family.
“He told me it was going to be a family home for he and his wife, and his mother-in-law and father-in-law,” Keesee said.
Keesee still lives in the neighborhood and says he never would have sold it to the new homeowner if he knew what he was planning. He says through an online listing he found out his old house will be an Airbnb with single short-term rental rooms.
The former homeowner told Channel 9′s Joe Bruno that he confronted the new homeowner about it
“I said you did not tell me this is what you are going to do and he just denied and said I can do what I want,” he said.
Contractors are currently working inside the home. The driveway has freshly painted parking lines for multiple vehicles. Keesee says contractors are converting the dining, family and living rooms into single short-term rental rooms.
The house is already on Airbnb. You can rent a room for $23 a night.
Neighbors are concerned strangers will be coming and going at all hours of the day.
“I think it is a very reasonable request for families basically anywhere to be able to feel some sense of safety of letting their kids in the front yard to hang out with other kids,” Keesee said.
The house has gotten the attention of the city of Charlotte. Code enforcement went by on Thursday and was denied access. Workers inside the house told the city they are dividing rooms inside the house for multiple bedrooms.
A week later, the city told Bruno that code enforcement inspectors were able to go inside the house, and they didn’t find any violations. The city did point out that the current law doesn’t allow more than six people who aren’t related at a time.
Channel 9 made multiple attempts to contact the homeowner on Friday. A worker at the house told Channel 9 to wait until the owner comes home. A few hours later, when Channel 9 noticed the owner’s car in the driveway, the same worker told Channel 9 the homeowner wasn’t home and “wasn’t driving the car.” A text and email to the homeowner wasn’t returned.
A spokesperson for Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment. A message to the host of the property on Airbnb was read but not replied to.
Neighbors say they’re exploring their options.
“Peace of mind is something that people are absolutely willing to fight for,” Keesee said.
(WATCH: NC Airbnb property threatened $10,000 fee for negative review)
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