HOUSTON — Residents who live near west Houston short-term rental properties said their lives have been turned into a "living hell" and they're demanding more police presence in the area on weekends when they said the problems are the worst.
For weeks, they've shared stories with KHOU 11. They said they've seen public sex acts, drug use and people walking around with guns and snakes.
They said the problems are still happening. Even though the listings have been pulled from a couple of popular rental websites, they're still showing up on others, including social media postings and also on booking.com.
Last week, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner promised more patrols in the area, but residents said it's not happening.
On Tuesday, Susan Sajadi told City Council that she's fed up with no one being held accountable for what's happening at Westhaven Estates. She said she couldn't sleep and was worried that her 2-year-old nephew could get hurt. She demanded police patrols at night on weekends.
"Show up at 11 o'clock on a Thursday night when they start checking in, stay there til 3 or 4 o'clock the next morning when you see them straggling out of the units. Cars dropping prostitutes off, picking prostitutes up. What is this?" she said.
Mayor John Whitmire said there are solutions in the works.
"We’re in the process of working with legal to come up with an ordinance. Certainly, in that instance, making it a hotel," he said.
Sajadi said she sent listing website links to stories, including from KHOU 11 News, to try to get the listings removed. She said she noticed one of the properties was already booked for the upcoming weekend.