How do you stop local government from over-regulating short term rentals?

[Craig-And-Christina0]

Our local government held a meeting yesterday to discuss "crafting regulations for short-term rentals..." (I guess 13% tax revenue just isn't enough for them).  This was not well advertised, I only heard about it retroactively on the news this morning. 

I was particularly taken aback with the comments regarding "...permitting requirements, fire and guest safety, and possible impacts to quality of life such as parking, trash and noise."  We offer a lovely vintage home.  Our home is maintained much more nicely than most of the rentals in the neighborhood and we have exceptionally pleasant and polite guests.  We chose the AirBnB option because we were tired of how disrespectfully long term renters treated our home!  With AirBnB, we are able to maintain the home meticulously.

This is a slippery slope.  When governments start imposing regulations, it will inevitably impact all of our ability to offer homes in this manner and will certainly force us to raise costs.  Please pay attention and get involved.  The county is holding a second open meeting next week and I plan on attending.

Please share any additional information you have on fighting this type of regulation in this forum.  I would really like to hear any stories from hosts or AirBnB representation on successful interventions.

If you are in Washoe County, please attend the next meeting with me so our voice is heard ( https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/washoe-county-hosting-meetings-on-short-term-rentals/)!  We are not a detriment to our neighborhoods...  Exactly the opposite!  My experience is we take much more pride in the homes we offer than the average landlord.  If you would like to get together prior to the county meeting to discuss strategy, please reach out to me directly.  I know this is short notice, but I'm sure the County planned it that way...

[Dimitar27]

The situation is completely different everywhere.

Some local statistics: (Sofia city, not Sofia district)

Accommodation places (total number): 126

Capacity total : 12,457 beds.

Number of nights spent (total number):  1,9 mln.

Total number of guests: 1,2 mln.

Many abb's still work illegal, without license. But it's clear, that they share no more then 10-15% of the market. Hotels just can't be against the STR, because we take the big part of the low-cost travelers. Hotels don't like them. They are not OK to sell just a bed. They need to sell other services and to focus on the business travelers market.

[Craig-And-Christina0]

Dimitar...  May I ask how you gathered your statistics?  I would like to do the same in my community.  We are not competition to the hotels here, which are mostly large casinos who price rooms ridiculously low.  We are priced much higher than you would pay for a hotel room and we strictly limit our guests to a maximum of 2 adults and their fur babies (even though the house is 2 bedroom, it is only one bath).  Our typical guest is an adult/couple who wants someplace quiet and over 50% are traveling with their pets (we have an enclosed grass backyard...which they can not get at a hotel or casino).  From what I have seen browsing local AirBnB listings, we are typical in this community.

[Dimitar27]

Hi. We have a National Statistics Institute. They are publishing this data every year. The data itself, comes from different official sources. The main source is the "Unified Tourist Information System", where all accommodation places are registered. They send data for every reservation. So...the Ministry of Tourism knows the number of guests, are they locals or foreigners, number of nights booked, etc.

[Deanne11]

I have attended meetings where the hosts are barely represented.  We don't live nearby sometimes and it is an issue when meetings are local.  The major source of problem is too many people in a building, too many cars and to much noise and commotion.  These were the points that came up during the meeting and the county is raising these as key issues.  Be involved or you will be asked to live close enough to respond within 30 minutes, regulate the number of people down to the square foot or bedroom number or the number of off street parking.  Hosts must be involved.  Write to the Washoe County Commissioner or go to their website  and sign up for news updates on Short Termed Rentals and write from there.

https://www.washoecounty.us/your_government/index.php