Richmond City Council set to debate short-term rental regulations
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Check out Airbnb’s website and you’ll find thousands of listings in Richmond, but many are not operating legally in the city.
That's because city code bans short-term rentals for fewer than 30 days.
Richmond City Council was supposed to take this up on Monday, but it’s now delayed until Feb.10.
“I do want us to be able to collect those revenues and to be able to have neighbors live peacefully within their areas as well,” City Councilor Kim Gray said.
Council is set to debate new regulations for these operations.
Those include:
- paying a lodging tax of 8 percent
- requiring the property owner to live on-premise 185 days per-year
- and safety regulations like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors.
“There’s a handful of requirements that we’re looking for that would help set the tone for what’s going on and thread that needle between over-regulation and no regulation," Richmond Director of Planning and Development Mark Olinger said.
But Gray is worried about places like Lucy’s Restaurant on North Second Street.
Gray says the business also operates a short-term rental in the same building.
The owner didn't return NBC12's phone call for comment, but Gray says if the owners don't live there, they will be out of luck.
"I don’t get any complaints about those and it’s minimal disruptions with respect to that,” Gray said.
The hope is to start the ordinance on July 1, 2020, and collect tax revenue starting Jan. 2021.
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