Oklahoma court upholds rental ban; homeowner faces $8,528 in fines

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling against an Edmond homeowner who used his property for short-term rentals, finding that the practice violated the Silverhawk community’s restrictive covenants. The decision closes a dispute that began in 2019, when the man started renting out his home to guests, contrary to the homeowners’ association (HOA) rules. In a decision on 11 November, the court upheld the injunction barring short-term rentals and the $8,528 in fines imposed by the association.Turning his home into short-term rentalsThe man bought the house in the Silverhawk neighbourhood of Edmond, Oklahoma, in 2015. A few years later, he began renting it to short-term guests through platforms such as Airbnb. The man claims he consulted the board before renting out the property. In October 2019, he contacted the neighbourhood association about renting out the house. ‘I don't see anything that stops you from doing that,’ one board member reportedly told him. That, however, was not an approval. The man argues that he did not interpret the response as a refusal. ‘But I didn't feel her response was explicit enough to tell me that, so that's why I took my next step.’ He emailed the group's secretary, who replied that the association did not restrict rentals. The man therefore took that as the answer he needed.The neighbourhood…