Regulatory Notes 9/27/2024

Fresno, CA

The Fresno City Council approved a Voluntary Collection Agreement with VRBO for the collection of Transient Occupancy Tax. There was a short discussion starting around 2:29:22 in the recording of the council meeting.

An interesting snippet of the agreement includes requirements for the city to confirm its jurisdictional boundaries within 90 days.

4. The City agrees to confirm its jurisdictional boundaries with HomeAway’s thirdparty tax content provider within 90-days of the Effective Date. The content provider is Vertex and boundaries can be verified by emailing gis@vertexinc.com. If the City fails to confirm the boundaries, the City agrees to accept the boundaries as determined by HomeAway.

Georgetown, TX

Georgetown, TX council completed and approved on 2nd reading an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals at its September 24 meeting. Starting November 1, properties listed on platforms like VRBO or Airbnb will need to register with the city, pay a registration fee, and hotel occupancy tax.

Check out the full ordinance

Ocean City, MD

Ocean City, MD council has forwarded two proposed regulations impacting short-term rentals back to the Planning Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the proposals at length during their September 17 meeting. The commission was presented with a memo from the Planning & Community Development Director and Zoning Administrator addressing overnight occupancy and minimal duration of stay. Staff recommended a minimum stay of 5-7 nights in R1 zoning to “help property owners better manage their rentals and enhance community stability.”

The OC Today Dispatch has an informative summary of all the latest changes, including this key section:

Earlier this month, the Mayor and Council agreed to forward two proposed short-term rental regulations to the Ocean City Planning Commission for further review. One restriction would set a minimum length of stay for short-term rentals in the R-1 residential and MH mobile home districts, while the other would set occupancy for rentals in R-1 and MH districts to two people per bedroom plus two additional guests, and no children counted toward the limit. - Public input sought for Ocean City short-term rental restrictions

Newport, RI

Newport, RI council did not approve ordinance changes proposed by Council Member Aramli during its recent meeting. The discussion starts at around 35:15 into the recording.

“We have a situation right now if we do not pass an ordinance like this, it is not just the housing stock that is at risk from being taken over by Airbnb and short term rentals. It is the mom and pop retail shops, the restaurants, all of the little stores you see on Broadway, any commercial building, period,” said Councilor Aramli.

Opponents, including several short-term rental owners who spoke during public comment, contended the ban would infringe on property rights and harm local businesses without guaranteeing more affordable housing. - Newport City Council debates short-term rental ban in business zones - WUN

South Padre Island, TX

Enforcement of the short-term rental ordinance is back in front of the city council in South Padre Island. At its September 18 meeting members and local residents discussed their opinions on prioritizing enforcement against problem properties.

Deckard Technologies, a real-estate analytics agency hired by the City last year, reported that there are currently 2,408 short-term rental licenses on South Padre Island [SPI], making nearly a third of the Island’s housing rental properties, according to Mayor Patrick McNulty. The call center which receives complaints regarding short-term rentals has seen quite the influx in calls: 101 since last October. According to Deckard,

36 properties received over half of those complaints. Council member Kerry Schwartz requested a list of these repeat-offender properties, and Deckard confirmed they would be able to provide that information.

Will Greenwood, owner of Island Rentals and President of the Vacation Rental Managers Association, took the podium to express frustration with the City for not enforcing fines on rental properties that do not comply with regulations. Port Isabel - South Padre Press