Federal legislation that would regulate fee transparency on travel bookings of all kinds, including short-term rentals, is on its way to becoming law.
The House has unanimously passed the bill on a bipartisan vote. The federal proposal needs to pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden to go into effect.
The bill, introduced by Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), would ban STRs as well as hotels, metasearch platforms and online travel agencies from hiding mandatory fees when displaying a reservation price or advertising charges.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association advocated strongly for the bill. AHLA Interim President and CEO Kevin Carey said the legislation would "establish a single and transparent standard for mandatory lodging fee displays and an even competitive playing field."
Washington’s effort to force a single standard for fees represents rare federal regulatory action that would impact STRs. It comes amid a rising wave of regulatory action by state and local governments across the country on Airbnb and other rental websites.
In New York, for example, legislators are sending a bill to the governor's desk with bipartisan support that would create a statewide STR registry. The sponsor says it will make it easier to tax STRs and limit their number. And in Hampton, Virginia, the city council has decided to cap STRs at 1% of residences within each of the city's 51 zones. That new rule will kick into gear starting next month.
Below, please find Property Guard's weekly short term rental regulation round-up, highlighting state and local news regarding short term rental regulations to regulate (or prohibit) Airbnbs and other STRs. If you want a comprehensive data solution on STR regulations in all 20,000 state and local jurisdictions, contact us here.
New and Proposed Regulations:
Other Noteworthy News:
