How L.A.’s Illegal Short-Term Rentals Hide in Plain Sight on Booking Sites

Venice Beach Hostel, which draws budget-minded tourists, is actually a 28-unit rent-controlled apartment building. Photo: Barbara Davidson for ProPublica.

This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica.

In the midst of an ongoing housing emergency, the city of Los Angeles has struggled to keep rent-controlled housing, which includes some of the city’s most affordable dwelling units, from turning into short-term rentals. Even though a 2018 law prohibits such conversions, enforcement has been lax.