Should short-term rentals be regulated, taxed?

Imagine living next door to a house that suddenly has a stream of strangers coming and going, staying for days at a time and then replaced by new visitors you’ve never seen before. Then imagine a state law that says your city can do little about it.

That’s the concern of some in Sandy Springs as the city considers regulating shortterm rentals – homeowners renting on the internet for less than 30 days per rental.

“Airbnb, VRBO, Craigslist – there are all shorts of organizations out there where you can rent a unit or provide a unit for rental,” Assistant City Manager Jim Tolbert said at a recent City Council meeting. In Sandy Springs alone, Host Compliance, a consultant working with the city, identified 211 addresses listed on 10 platforms.

The rentals could generate new hotel tax revenues, Tolbert said. But without local regulation, there’s no way to know for sure who’s doing it. Also, it’s feared the practice could alter a neighborhood’s character and create parking, noise, traffic and public safety problems.

Officials acknowledge they’re running up against proposed state legislation barring cities from regulating or prohibiting short-term rentals. House Bill 579, sponsored by state Rep. Matt Dollar, R-Marietta, also would have the Department of Revenue collect hotel taxes from a marketplace like Airbnb and remit them to localities.

“The frightening thing about HB 579 is that it would take away all of our authority to know where these things are,” Tolbert said.

Testifying at a legislative hearing last fall, Airbnb lobbyist Brandon Hatton supported the House bill and rejected the idea that hosts use the website to operate pseudo-hotels. “The average Airbnb hosts are individuals who are hosting a spare bedroom,” he said.

Should cities regulate short-term rentals? Or should private property rights of homeowners prevail? Tell us what you think. Send comments by email to: communitynews@ajc.com