Kansas City Airbnb hosts may face fees with proposed rules
February 14, 2017 | Bobby Burch
One year after a public meeting to cull input on “short-term stay” rules in Kansas City, officials have released a proposed ordinance on how Airbnb hosts can operate.
The proposal would require that Airbnb and HomeAway hosts in Kansas City, Mo. register and pay annual registration fees for short-term renting of their property, which is currently illegal. City officials said that the ordinance was prompted after residents issued complaints against hosts for increased activity and not related to crime.
The ordinance — which would have an impact on more than 300 Airbnb and Homeaway hosts in the area — could be taken up for a vote as early at March 7 by the City Planning Commission. The city is hosting a public discussion on the draft ordinance at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Greg Klice Community Center.
The proposal would create two types of special-use permits for hosts. Type 1 properties — or owner-occupied residences — would be subject to a $100 fee for first-year registration and $50 per year thereafter. The proposal sets a 90-night-a-year limit on Type 1 rentals.
Type 2 properties — or non-owner occupied residences — would be subject to a $596 fee and would be renewable in two years after review by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Type 2 permits would apply to hosts renting a house or unit that is no one’s full-time residence.
Both types of permits entail that hosts keep records on each short term stay, logging such information as complaints from guests or neighbors. The records are subject to review by the city at any time.
In an attempt to avoid a spat similar to that with Uber, the city has had ongoing contact with Airbnb regarding the regulations. That kerfuffle in 2015 compelled Uber to temporarily leave the city, sparking a heated response from area business leaders. Eventually, the city and Uber struck a compromise that reinstated the service, leading the company to open a new local office.
Join a virtual discussion on the proposed ordinance here or attend the aforementioned public meeting on Wednesday. You can see the ordinance in its entirety by clicking here.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘Cure-all’ for your hunger: Chefs offer tastes of what’s to come at KC’s newest food hall
A Kansas City-simmered food hall concept is expected to unveil its long-awaited dining experience next month in the lightwell building downtown — pairing two well-seasoned culinary minds with appetites for inventive tastes. Officially dubbed the Strang Chef Collective at lightwell, the chef-driven venture will feature a duo of restaurant concepts — Verde and Panacea —…
Troost capital project hits $15M goal; 2023 completion expected to address ‘blight at the heart’ of trauma in KC
Reconciliation Services recently crossed the finish line of a $14.9 million capital campaign to breathe new life into its aging homebase at one of Kansas City’s most bustling intersections, said Father Justin Mathews. “We were able to complete the $15 million raise in approximately 18 months, which is a tribute to the generosity of Kansas…
Lifted Spirits teases expansion, recipe for its quirky cocktail of success: Math plus intuition
After noticing more than a decade ago how distillation and cocktails enhanced his own friendship groups, Michael Stuckey set out to create that same sense of community for others. “I fell in love with the idea of spirits first; this idea that spirits were inherently about bringing people together,” said Stuckey, founder of Lifted Spirits…
Black Pantry expands nationally through online shop; founder works to set new standard for buying Black
Kansas City’s premier boutique for Black-owned essentials always had its sights set on building a national identity, said Brian Roberts, but he needed to prove himself and his business on the local level first. “A lot of people were pushing me in the beginning to go the website direction, but I didn’t want to do…