To my surprise, I just received a letter by mail from my town, indicating that I was in violation of a new town ordinance regarding short term rentals. The letter included a copy of my Airbnb listing. I have been a host on Airbnb for the past 6 years, and was unaware that a regulation was recently put into place in my town regarding short term rentals and a new permitting and approval process - and of course yearly fees and inspections. A bit annoyed that notice was not given to town residents that such an important meeting was being held by the planning/zoning board. But that's a topic for another thread....
I'm not writing to argue the merit of a town requiring hosts to apply and pay for yearly short term rental certificates. What I am curious about is how did my town get my name and address, when my understanding is that such information is only released by Airbnb upon a confirmed reservation?
The other question I have, is that in order to comply with the application process for receiving a short term rental certificate from my town I need to provide a copy of a current county Hotel Occupancy Tax Certificate. My understanding is that occupancy taxes are collected by and paid by Airbnb. Wondering how I can comply with furnishing a Tax Certificate when I am not the one collecting or paying the taxes?
I'd love to receive answers to those two questions. Many thanks!