3 Community Responses to the Rapid Growth of Short-Term Rental Properties

The number of short-term rental properties is growing rapidly across the United States and internationally.  They will continue to have a major impact on the hospitality industry both now and in the years to come.  For most of modern history, it was expected that travelers would stay at inns, bed and breakfasts, or hotels.  While these types of properties will still have their importance in hospitality, the trend is shifting to rental properties thanks to websites like VRBO and Airbnb.  Short-term rental properties are becoming more and more common in many towns across the United States.  These towns are taking measures to plan for the surging demand of property owners looking to buy short-term rentals.

Troup County, Georgia

In November of 2022, Troup County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a text amendment to regulate short-term rentals.  A text amendment is an ordinance that can add or remove permitted uses in a zoning district or adjust the dimensional requirements of certain structures.  The text amendment will place regulations on short-term rentals in their community such as rules related to noise, parking procedures, light usage, and the number of individuals allowed in each rental.  Short-term rentals are growing in demand and popularity, which is great.  However, they are growing too quickly in some communities like Troup County, so this is a way for members to make sure their community respects the privacy of one another.

Dunkirk, New York

Dunkirk is also looking to address the rapid growth of short-term rental properties.  The town board has been meeting to draft laws pertaining to short-term rental properties in their town.  An arising issue is that people not native to Dunkirk have been buying properties while not planning to live there throughout the year.  Members at the town board meeting were more willing to allow rental properties to be used if the owner would make the home their primary residence and then open it up for rent at certain times of the year when they are not living at their property.  Simply put, members of the community want their properties to be used by residents who will be active members of the community throughout most of the year.  This is still an ongoing issue in the community, but members are hoping for an agreement on how to handle this soon.

Grand Lake, Colorado

The regulation of short-term rentals has also become an issue for the town of Grand Lake.  At their board meeting back in September of 2022, there was a debate on finding a balance between supporting the short-term rental business and building their community.  Some ideas that have been suggested include limiting the number of available licenses or putting a limit on how many licenses one person can possess to help ensure that owners will be active in the town itself.  In December, the Grand Lake Board of Trustees approved ten new rules for short-term rentals in their town.  Some of these rules focus on licensing, an increase in fines for violations, and occupancy and parking limits noted in advertisements.  Other new notable rules include property rules, noise levels, and owner contact information needs to be visible in the property units.

Less Competition

The bright side of these communities limiting the number of short-term rentals in their town is it will reduce the competition between the properties.  This way, current rental properties will be able to continue serving their guests without the fear of going out of business because of too many properties opening to take away customers.  The towns are ultimately looking out for their own communities and making sure the owners of these houses will be present and able to contribute to their respective towns.

Organizations Offering Support

The rapid growth of short-term rentals has provided a major shift in the types of properties that guests are staying at.  Traditionally, bed and breakfasts and common hotels have been the industry standard.  Some organizations focused on supporting short-term rentals are the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), Host2Host, and the Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP).  The purpose of VRMA is to support the advancement of the vacation rental industry with education, networking, research, and advocacy.  Host2Host is particularly focused on the Portland, Oregon region.  Their goal is to protect and improve the values of the short-term rental properties in the area.  ALP offers education on properties like short-term rentals.

InnStyle is Here for Your Rental Property

Short-term rentals are growing at such a high rate that some towns are passing laws to slow down the rapid growth.  To impress guests, these rentals will need to ensure they fill the property with high-quality linens and other hospitality supplies. InnStyle has a blog on what makes good quality sheets for short-term rentals.  InnStyle makes this process simple for property owners and managers because they serve as a one-stop shop for all their hospitality needs.  They have sections for bedding, towels, amenities, lodging accessories, dining products, etc.  Please contact InnStyle for any of your hospitality linens questions.  Their account managers are happy to help.  They can be reached at 267-354-6020 or 800-877-4667.  Their website is https://www.innstyle.com/.