Short term rentals are quite commonplace these days. To some, they provide a steady income and to others, they give a decent place to stay on vacation, business tours, and more. However, when it comes to regulating short term rentals, there needs to be rules and regulations in place to address all the concerning areas. Every aspect should be taken into consideration when putting together these regulations and they should abide by the state laws too.

So, here’s how to regulate and enforce short term rentals.

Require Registration All the short term rentals should be registered with the planning department. This helps with identifying the unit that is being used as a short term rental, the person who needs to be contacted for any complaints, and the party who could be held responsible for any violations. It is recommended that the landlords must be required to provide their proof of primary residency when they opt to register a property. This could be in the form of, at least, two documents from the landlord’s motor vehicle registration, voter registration, driver’s license, or utility bills listing the property as their primary residence.

Registration renewal might be required every year or every two years. It would be a good practice to consider permits valid for 2 years unless some violation complaints are there.

Maintenance Of Health & Safety Standards

The hosts of the short term rentals must maintain the basic health and safety standards. The permits can be denied if there are any violations of planning, housing, building, fire, police, and health code applicable in the city. Hosts should also be required to ensure basic safety measures are taken. For instance, all bedrooms should have a working smoke detector and there should be an evacuation plan in place which identifies all the possible exits.

Insurance Cover Must Exist

There must be a necessary insurance cover to give guests recourse if they get injured during their stay at a short term rental. Necessary insurance can include homeowner’s insurance endorsement, general liability insurance, etc.

Preserving The Neighborhood Quality

STRs can have both positive and negative effects on the neighborhood. Talking about the positives, the visitors may bring income to the neighborhood. Most of the residential areas, however, have a goal of maintaining a quiet and peaceful environment and promote social bonding among the neighbors. With new guests coming in every couple of months, the infrastructure and character of the neighborhood could be undermined. So, there should be rules regulating short term rentals that are meant to preserve the neighborhood quality. For instance, parties, weddings, and similar gatherings could be prohibited on the property.

Conflict Management

There should be rules and regulations in place to manage conflicts. Neighbors should be given access to certain channels for filing complaints related to nuisance or any kind violations. Property owners filing for STR permits should be required to notify their adjacent neighbors.

Regulation and enforcement of the short term rentals aren’t too straightforward. There could be many more regulations made in line with the state laws for better management. Please visit here to learn more: https://propertyguard.io/enforcement-regulating-short-term-rentals