Fullerton city council is moving to tighten its existing short term rental (STR) rules by forbidding the practice in cases where the homeowner is not present during the rental period. During its April 20 meeting, council moved to prohibit whole-house STRs with a 3-2 vote. It will conduct a second reading of the amended ordinance during its next meeting. “It’s a bad day for property owners in Fullerton,” Mayor Pro Tem Nick Dunlap, one of two dissenting votes, told The Epoch Times on April 21. “This is just a total infringement on property rights.” STRs are defined as rental properties of less than 30 days. They are often used for vacation purposes as an alternative to hotels. Whole-house STRs don’t require the owner to be on the premises of the property during the rental period. The city’s earlier short-term rental housing ordinance went into effect last December. It allowed up to 325 whole-house rental permits, and unlimited home-sharing permits. It required owners to register STRs …