City considers regulating Airbnb, similar rentals
Short-term vacation rentals, such as those managed by Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), are becoming increasingly popular for out-of-town visitors all over the country, and they’re making their way into Mountain Brook.
“I don’t think it’s hit us real hard, but we have had questions come up and thought it might be better to start a dialogue with … more of the presence of Airbnb, VRBOs, do we want to put something in place on how we want to handle these,” said councilwoman Alice Womack when the issue was discussed during the council meeting on June 12.
City planner Dana Hazen said that right now the city doesn’t differentiate between owner-occupied homes and rental homes, or between short- and long-term rentals. Rentals are allowed in single-family districts, too. But per Mountain Brook’s ordinance, Hazen explained that only one family, or “a group of people who is related to one another, which may include one individual that is not related,” may occupy a single-family residence at any given time.
“The way we [regulate it] now, it’s not really head-on, and if we want to do it, if we want to allow it, in any of our districts in any form or fashion, we should probably write an ordinance that really addresses it,” Hazen said.
While renting a house is permitted, some listings on Airbnb allow for homeowners to rent out a detached apartment or room in their house. If zoned as a single-family property, only a member of the family would be legally permitted reside there regardless of whether or not a monetary transaction is involved, Hazen said.
The city previously received complaints when college students were renting homes, which city manager Sam Gaston said prompted updating the definition of a “family.” “And we have over the years … have received complaints about people maybe renting a house and they have three or four unrelated people living there,” he said.
Hazen said the issue was again brought to light from residents after they noticed multiple out-of-state license plates at one residence.
Council members agreed that Mountain Brook is not a “destination city” but recognized that there are families who may come to the area for business, local sports tournaments or weddings who will look to rent residential-type housing.
“If you wanted to allow it, there are lots and lots of ways to consider,” Hazen said.
Currently, Homewood does not allow any rentals shorter than 90 days in single-family districts but permits them in multifamily districts. Nashville’s policies state that renters must be at least 21 years old and if the short-term rental violates any law relating to short-term rentals, the permit may be revoked.
“I think we need to continue the discussion to come up with something that works for us,” said councilman Lloyd Shelton.
As of press time, future meetings were being planned between council members and members of the planning commission to decide how to proceed with short-term rentals, but the meeting has since been scheduled for 8 a.m. on July 12 at City Hall.
“It’s kind of one of those contemporary issues that we haven’t had to confront,” Hazen said. “We haven’t really had a lot of these types of uses because we’re not, you know, a destination city like the beach or Tuscaloosa even. But, I feel like we’ll be getting more and more of these questions.”
For questions, email Dana Hazen at hazend@mtnbrook.org or call her at 802-3821.
Editor's note: This article was updated on June 23 at 3:30 p.m. to include the date and time of the work session as well as the contact info for Dana Hazen.