City home- sharing regulation should boost visitor options
Asure sign of success for an entrepreneurial business model is when it attracts the attention of government regulators. That’s one way to signify that home-sharing, also known as shortterm rental, is robust in Columbus and surrounding communities.
The availability of single bedrooms or entire homes for $24 to $99 a night in neighborhoods including the Short North, German Village and Ohio State University area helps to make central Ohio a popular destination on internet platforms like Airbnb and Vacation Rentals by Owner, giving travelers to Columbus options far beyond traditional hotels and motels.
But when creative new concepts threaten to disrupt an industry, as home-sharing is in the process of doing with the hotel-motel field, government must make sure that disruption doesn’t also spill over to create problems for those outside the industry — neighboring homeowners who didn’t intend to live next to a hotel.
About half of all shortterm rentals in Columbus are for a spare bedroom in an owner-occupied home, according to Airbnb. The potential for problems is greater with the other half — owners renting entire homes they don’t live in.
We are glad to see Columbus City Council President Pro Tem Michael Stinziano working on proposed regulations for the short-term-rental industry in Columbus. Neighboring suburbs are among those watching with interest.
Stinziano held two public hearings since unveiling proposed regulations in May that were drafted after meetings with interested parties including the hotel and lodging industry as well as Columbus Hosts Alliance, representing homeowners who rent out part or all of their homes. Now input from the hearings is being reviewed to determine if revisions are needed, according to city council staff.
Airbnb ranks Columbus as its most-popular destination in Ohio, attracting more than 47,000 guests in 2017 and earning those who rented out their properties $6.5 million, though the business here lags behind Indianapolis, Louisville and Minneapolis, which all had more than 70,000 Airbnb guests last year.
The challenge is for city council to provide a reasonable regulatory framework that will protect the interests of neighboring residents — since the short-term-rental industry operates in residential neighborhoods — without unnecessarily stifling the ability of homeowners to participate in the hot market opportunity.
Hotel and motel operators also have a dog in this fight, but as with any industry facing disruption by creative entrepreneurs, they should not expect protection by government but simply fair treatment.
It is positive that both the hosts’ alliance and the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association agree some regulation is in order and are working with the city on the legislation. Points of agreement include requiring a fair and simple registration process for those sharing their homes and for payment of permit fees and taxes.
At issue is whether Columbus should cap the number of days that an unoccupied home can be rented, initially proposed at 104 days a year, or the equivalent of every weekend.
Home-sharing advocates view that as extreme, arbitrary and a virtual ban on whole-home rentals.
Rather than regulate to worst-case scenarios, better for Columbus to keep the welcome mat out for visitors and protect neighbors’ rights with a vigorous response to occasional behavior that produces complaints.