The Scott administration wants to do a study of the state’s short-term rental properties to see if changes need to be made in how companies like Airbnb operate in Vermont.
Last year lawmakers hammered out a watered-down short-term rental law that left it up to short-term rental hosts to self-regulate their properties. However Vermont’s lodging industry was back in the Statehouse recently seeking additional oversight.
Earlier this month Ronda Berns, Vermont Chamber of Commerce's vice president of tourism, wrote to lawmakers:
“Short-term rentals need to be treated like any other lodging business and regulated accordingly. ... The Vermont Chamber supports additional legislation that will require all short-term rentals to register and pay the required per person lodging fee with the state; acquire a rooms & meals tax id number per the current law, be self-certified and agree to an inspection. These measures are all aimed to protect the Vermont short term hosts, the traveling public and the Vermont brand.”
In response to those concerns Wendy Knight, Vermont's commissioner of tourism and marketing, said the state will do a study of short-term rental properties to get a better understanding of how they are affecting the lodging industry.
“The industry has spoken to the Legislature and they think that the law that passed last year didn’t go far enough,” Knight said. “So their concern is that there’s not a level playing field.”
"The industry has spoken to the Legislature and they think that the law that passed last year didn't go far enough. So their concern is that there's not a level playing field." — Wendy Knight, Vermont Tourism and Marketing commissioner
The study will look at how many short-term rental properties are owner occupied, as opposed to those that are non-owner occupied. Knight said the state also is interested in figuring out which rental properties are primary residences versus non-primary residences.
“We think that the multiple-unit properties that are being run as Airbnbs, perhaps those need to be looked at to be brought into the regulations that exist for the lodging establishment,” Knight said.
Hotels and inns say they’re at a financial disadvantage because home-sharing owners don’t have to follow the same health and fire safety regulations. Along with taking on a statewide study of short-term rental properties, Knight said the administration will also move ahead and change the regulations for smaller inns that put up eight people or less.
Currently smaller inns have to follow the same regulations that larger hotels do. Knight said that by relaxing those standards, inns can more fairly compete with short-term rentals.
A spokesman for Airbnb declined to comment, saying he would wait until legislation is proposed.
