How Arlington is Regulating Airbnb Rentals

• January 9th 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

Last month, Arlington County approved zoning regulations for short-term rentals by creating a new home occupation called “accessory homestay.” Now, homeowners can apply to create these accessory homestays.

The new designation effectively makes it legal for homeowners to utilize services like Airbnb to host visitors for overnight stays of fewer than 30 days. In order to run an accessory homestay, the homeowner must meet several requirements and apply for a permit. Here are some of those requirements:

• The applicant must both own the unit (a single-family detached or attached home, condominium or duplex) and utilize it as his or her primary residence at least 185 days each year;
• There can only be one lodger or contracted group of lodgers at a time
• There can be a maximum of either six lodgers or, if there are more than three bedrooms, two lodgers per bedroom (or in the accessory dwelling unit). There are also stipulations as to the square footage of the bedrooms
• Accessory homestays cannot be used for commercial meetings or events

Permits must be renewed annually and can be revoked if any of the above conditions are not met or if the county is made aware that the owner has violated those regulations three or more times within a year. To learn more or to apply for a permit, click here.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/how_to_register_an_accessory_homestay_in_arlington/12027.