The Waiting Game For DC’s Short-Term Rental Regulations

• October 1, 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

Today, the short-term rental regulatory bill passed in DC last fall was expected to be implemented. But with a key decision still up in the air, all homeowner hosts can do is keep waiting.

The Short-term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act gave the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) purview of the short-term rental industry, requiring hosts to acquire permits for their short-term rentals. However, DCRA is waiting for an October 17th zoning hearing before issuing the new rules.

Because the new law codifies enforcement of illegal short-term rentals, hundreds of existing short-term rentals would automatically be in jeopardy because zoning prohibits these type of rentals in residential zones. At the October 17th hearing, the Zoning Commission could issue guidance permitting short-term rentals in residential zones.

Assuming the hearing brings this grey area to a close, DCRA may turn to emergency rule-making, whereby the public would be notified of proposed regulatory changes and those changes would be implemented 30 days later. This means that there may or may not be a short term rental regulatory structure in effect by Thanksgiving.

Clarification: The Zoning Commission may not hold a final vote October 17th.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/short-term-rental-regulations-are-a-waiting-game/15959