By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Short-term rentals in Bowling Green may soon be asked to meet long-term standards, according to an ordinance presented Monday evening at BG City Council.
The ordinance would require short-term rental properties to pay the city’s hotel-motel tax, meet inspection requirements, and have limits on occupancy.
In March, two City Council members said they have been getting an earful from their constituents about short-term rentals.
In recent years, several owner-occupied homes have been converted into short-term rental housing. A recent check of vacation rental sites – like Vrbo and Airbnb – showed nearly 100 such properties in Bowling Green, according to council member Kathleen Dennis.
The city currently has no regulations for such short-term rentals.
The proposed ordinance defines a short-term rental as “any room or dwelling that is rented wholly or partly for a fee for fewer than 30 days at a time by persons other than the permanent occupant or owner from which the permanent occupant or owner receive monetary compensation, whether such compensation is paid directly by the short-term rental guest or is collected and remitted to the permanent occupant or owner by a hosting platform.”
The ordinance would require owners of short-term rentals to:
- Register the rental with the city and inspect the site.
- Submit an annual $150 registration fee.
- Have an authorized agent physically located within 35 miles of the city of Bowling Green, in order to serve as a contact who will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The maximum number of occupants who will be accommodated at short-term rentals will not exceed two per bedroom, plus three additional occupants. This information shall be posted inside each short-term rental in a conspicuous location.
The rentals must pay the city’s hotel-motel tax, to be deposited into the city’s general fund.
Each short-term rental unit must have fully functional life safety equipment on premises and installed to manufacturer specifications, including smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers.
The properties will be subject to penalties for such infractions as creating noise audible beyond the boundary of the property, occupancy exceeding the limits, uninvited entry by renters of adjoining private property, and violations of nuisance party regulations.
Last month, City Council members Jeff Dennis and Joel O’Dorisio reported that they have heard from their constituents about the uncertainties of short-term rentals next door in their neighborhoods. Neighbors are uneasy about homes being converted into short-term rentals.
“They don’t know who’s going to be there week to week,” Dennis said.
O’Dorisio is hearing the same concerns.
“People are unsettled by having short-term rentals in their neighborhood,” he said. “The turnover is rapid and unsettling,” unlike regular rentals where neighbors get to know the renters next door.
While some of the short-term rentals are promoted as perfect for parents visiting their college students, O’Dorisio questioned that scenario.
“I don’t think that’s how it’s playing out,” he said.
Kathleen Dennis said the city’s zoning currently has no regulations for short-term rentals.
“This is a business they are running,” which should be regulated, she said. “With credibility comes a sense of responsibility.”
Dennis also said she favors making the rentals subject to the city’s hotel tax, which is collected on other short-term lodging.
