Aaron Batley: The Leader Behind NBSTRA

Aaron was born in raised in Newport Beach, CA. Growing up here and being an ocean lifeguard for the City for many years, Aaron infuses his passion and love for his hometown directly into his business, Newport Beach Vacation Properties (NBVP). After acquiring Burr White Realty in 2024, NBVP is now the largest short-term operator in Newport Beach. Aaron is the founder of the Newport Beach Short-Term Rental Alliance.

Aaron had the vision for founding the Newport Beach Short-Term Rental Alliance (NBSTRA) after he grew increasingly frustrated that the City of Newport Beach constantly made changes to the ordinances, regulations, and rules governing STRs in the City without any meaningful outreach to the STR community. After hearing Jeff Flint, now NBSTRA’s contract Executive Director, speak at a Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) conference about Why and How STR Owners and Managers Should Form Local Associations, he followed up with Flint and said, in effect, “You were singing from my song, I have been thinking for months that we need an Alliance in Newport Beach, let’s get started.”

Out of this, NBSTRA was formed, and it could have come at a more important time. Despite the incredibly responsible management of the vast majority of STRs in Newport Beach, the millions in taxes paid to support City services, and hundreds of local small businesses supported by STR guests, the City continued to change the rules with no industry input. They worked with Visit Newport Beach (the destination marketing organization for Newport) to scrub any reference of STRs as a viable lodging choice from Newport Beach marketing, and created a new class of STR permits in mixed use zones and moved these ahead of property owners who have patiently waited for years on the City’s STR permit wait list. They’re pushing aggressive property inspections and enforcing unrealistic parking rules that include fines on the property owners and potential strikes that could lead to the revokation of permits.

“STR owners and managers in Newport Beach live the code of renting responsibly, being good neighbors, and providing value to our shared community,” said Aaron when he launched NBSTRA. “But it became clear to me that if we did not band together to speak with one voice, nothing would change at City Hall.”