Nashville's War on AirBnB
The war drums are pounding inside the halls of the Metro Council.
Responding to demands from the public and the local media, Metro Council is considering a ban on all non-owner occupied short term rental properties [STRPs], the official government name for AirBnB and VRBO rentals.
Not everyone agrees this is the best solution.
I understand the point of the property owners who are good neighbors. Why punish everyone when most of us are complying with the law? Besides, property owners have rights too.
The neighbors of some of these “party houses” have also have a valid point. Some of the renters have made life miserable for their neighbors and the police are slow to respond for non-emergency issues. They have the right to happiness in their own homes.
What I do not understand is the “shut it all down” mentality.
Surely there has to be a middle ground that would be acceptable to most everyone.
(Don’t worry. I’m not so delusional to think that we can make “everyone” happy)
If I were in charge, I would be pulling the permits of the homes that consistently receive credible complaints or calls to the police. Just like they do for business that are a nuisance.
How hard can this really be?
Shutting it all down affects more than the homeowners.
First, we have a lack of hotel space to meet the demands of our business travelers and tourists. We could lose some serious (and much needed) revenue by eliminating these rentals.
Second, lots of jobs and businesses were created to manage, clean, maintain and outfit these rental units. These folks will be jobless if the non-owner occupied units are eliminated.
Here’s how I plan to get involved
- Call the council person for my district and all the at-large members. I will let them know how I expect them to work together and vote on this matter.
- Attend the joint meeting of the Metro Council Planning, Codes and Tourism committees on Monday, January 23rd and the Metro Council Meeting on February 7.
Won’t you join me?
Hit reply and let me know what you plan to do.
The Daily Deal in Nashville is a beautiful, cottage style home in Mansker Farms [Hendersonville] that is listed for less than $230,000.
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