As of Jan. 1, those listing their homes on Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and other such services have a to follow.
That followed the fast-tracked聽聽of the regulations聽on Dec. 12, beating the state legislature 鈥� which is considering a more lax set of policies that could supercede local rules 鈥� to the punch.
With the rules now in place, however, the Arlington County Board is looking to make some changes. Chief among them is allowing renters, not just homeowners, to generate extra income by opening their home to short-term guests.
Advantaging those who聽own a home over those who rent was by some as regressive, and at its Jan. 28 meeting the Board appears poised to respond. (As part of the legislative process, such changes must first be 鈥渁dvertised鈥� to the public, and the Board did so in December while approving the original regulations.)
In a , county staff said limiting Airbnb privileges聽to homeowners was an idea gleaned from other jurisdictions 鈥� an idea that staff came to realize would聽face significant pushback.
鈥淭hroughout the public outreach process, staff heard from renters with an interest in hosting accessory homestay, including the majority of participants at a public open house, and from several advisory groups and commissions, including the Housing Commission, and from several participants in an online feedback form,鈥� staff wrote. 鈥淪taff concluded that it would be appropriate to broaden the proposed amendment to allow accessory homestay in all dwellings occupied by a resident who uses the dwelling as his/her primary residence, regardless of ownership status.鈥�
The change would not, however, automatically mean that any renter could turn their apartment into a聽de facto hotel: the renter or homeowner must still use the home as their primary residence for at least 185 days out of the year, and landlords could still prevent tenants from taking in short-term renters.
鈥淓ven if the proposed amendment is adopted to allow tenants to host accessory homestay, a lease could still preclude (or further limit) a resident from using his/her home for accessory homestay purposes, and any enforcement of lease terms would be between the tenant and landlord,鈥� staff wrote.
Other changes being considered this month include allowing hosts to rent out rooms to multiple short-term 鈥渞oommates鈥澛爋n separate contracts, and making several 鈥渦pdates for clarity and consistency.鈥�
The Arlington Planning Commission is scheduled to take up the changes 聽before the Board votes on it later this month.
