Short-term home rentals could face regulation

Columbus is likely to soon join the ranks of Ohio cities looking to regulate short-term home rentals, as platforms such as Airbnb see strong growth in the state.

Columbus City Councilman Michael Stinziano met early this week with policy aides to Mayor Andrew J. Ginther to discuss proposed regulations. In an interview afterward, Stinziano said no legislation had been finalized, but said specifics will be unveiled in public meetings probably sometime in May before coming before City Council.

Ideas that have been discussed include both measures to ensure safety — requiring smoke alarms and a registry with 24-hour emergency contact information for a property’s owner — and restrictions on owners turning properties into short-term rentals on a fulltime basis.

Similar measures were put in place in Cleveland before the city hosted the 2016 Republican National Convention. However, some members of the Cleveland City Council are already calling for changes or even a limited-time moratorium on short-term rentals after hearing of problems with rentals from constituents.

Cincinnati is currently discussing regulation, as is Canton.

Airbnb has called Columbus one of its fastest-growing markets in the country, although in sheer numbers of rentals it is still far behind top cities such as Chicago and San Francisco. Airbnb's data is self-reported and not independently audited.