The start time of the Greensboro City Council work session on Thursday, Jan. 26 has been postponed from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Boom Supersonic is making a major announcement at the Piedmont Triad International Airport at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. Both North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and President Pro Tem of the state Senate Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) are expected to attend along with Mayor Nancy Vaughan and members of the Greensboro City Council.
According to the agenda for the work session that will be held in the Plaza Level Conference Room at city hall, one of the items to be discussed is a proposed ordinance to regulate short term rentals through services such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The city currently has no ordinances that regulate this type of short term rental and is regulating them under the broader category of “Tourist Homes (Bed and Breakfasts).”
The city has received a number of complaints about short term rentals mainly related to the introduction or expansion of commercial activity, renting rooms in established residential areas and allowing a greater number of persons to reside in a single-family dwelling than would typically be allowed.
There is currently no database of short term rental properties in Greensboro, but research indicates that Airbnb listed 490 short term rental sites in Greensboro in 2019. The total annual earnings on all short term rentals in Greensboro was estimated to be about $2.8 million.
Since the summer of 2021, a short term rental working group convened by Vaughan has been developing a framework for regulating short term rentals.
The City Council will consider requiring a zoning permit for residences operating as short term rentals with an annual fee to offset the cost of implementing and monitoring the business.
The proposed ordinance would also prohibit parties from being held in short term rental units. The proposed regulation states “gatherings that are publicly announced or promoted (through any means) and involve more than 2 times number of people allowed with the rental are prohibited.”
However, short term rentals would be allowed in any zoning district that allows residential dwelling units.
So, how does this differ from those who rent out their homes to attendees of the Furniture Market? How are THEY regulated?
Basically, how council can tax you and have more money to Wizz away on worthless projects.
We recently had a nightmare in Guilford Hills w an AirBNB.Drug activity, people coming and going for short periods of time all night, pot smoking, person passed out in a car etc.Easy to rent these places out and open up shop for a week or two then move on.The owner can even sublet to an individual or company that then rents the house out as short term rental.Pretty confident that no one cares about the community or exposure your children have to dangerous activities.Who screens for sexual predators because short term rentals don’t show on a registry? Consider what effect these rentals have on your property values when you try to sell your homes. Nice $$ for the landlord but it’s not helping your pocketbook, your family or your community.
Make your voice heard to your Council member and our Mayor.Not all neighborhoods are appropriate for short stay housing!
Kathy McKeithan
There are always bad neighbors around. Owned, rented, or squatted. Asking govt to get into another field of regulation is as bad as asking for any more taxation of any kind.
As a Libertarian I strongly oppose any government intervention or restriction on private enterprise. Mind your own business and let the industry regulate itself. We could do with a whole lot less government and a lot less taxation. If we started today it would take decades before we felt any relief from the mess the Democrats have us in today. Enjoy your cesspool Greensboro!
It ain’t that much fun.
I’ve had a private AIRBNB at my home in Hamilton Lakes for 6 years and my neighbors are not only aware, but supportive. We heavily screen the renters prior to booking as far as reason for travel, intent during stay, etc. We only rent to those who have a history of top ratings on the AIRBNB platform or provide thorough identification for those staying on site. Limit of 2 persons, no pets. They have a specific parking space and there are outside security cameras documenting their arrival and departure. Most of our renters are either business people or family members of local residents who need “spillover” accommodations when they come to visit. We rent to quite a few of our church and neighbor friends family members. We have never had any issues and I believe as long as the property owner lives on site, or near enough they can / will manage anything that looks suspicious i.e. a party in the making, drug activity, etc then it should be unregulated the same as the 50+ year tradition of homeowners renting their properties out for furniture market, golf tournament, etc. Just my two cents worth!