Neighbors Describe Glendale Party House as “War Zone”

One such party drew more than 200 revelers and got out of control, officials say

Glenwood is a quiet residential neighborhood in Glendale, where one house blends in with the others on tree-lined Norton Avenue, until, neighbors say, the parties start.

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One video on YouTube taken by a neighbor in December shows police arriving by car and helicopter after a party attended by about 200 people got out of control.

"It was like a war zone," said neighbor Andrew Gorgyan.

The house is leased by a property management company, which then rents it out on a nightly basis using websites such as airbnb.com.

"They advertised it as a party house," said city of Glendale spokesman Tom Lorenz. "That's the first red flag when you got a problem because people will come in for 24 hours, rent the house to have a party."

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Lorenz said it's part of a growing trend in which homeowners rent out their houses for short-term rentals online. Most are rented by vacationers, but the house on Norton Avenue has been specifically advertised as a party house rental.

Neighbors have called police to the home six times in the past three months.

Police can shut down the parties for loud music, but without a specific ordinance addressing short-term rentals, there's not much to prevent it from happening again. The city is now working to change that.

"We have to look at ordinances the court will uphold to make sure they're constitutional so we're not violating whether it be the neighbor or homeowner trying to rent it," Lorenz said.

It's a balance the leasing agent, Mikey Dardashti, now says he is trying to strike after residents' complaints caused the police to contact him.

"We are placing rules and regulations to be more strict in terms of who we are renting to and what are they going to do in our houses," Dardashti said.

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