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Professional Association of Innkeepers International calls for equal compliance with tax collection, basic safety and leasing laws for short term in-home/apartment rentals.
February 10, 2013 – Charleston, SC. The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) leadership announces the adoption of a position statement encouraging fairness and responsibility from those engaged in the renting of rooms to travelers on a short-term basis in residential environments, commonly referred to as vacation rentals (VRs) or short-term rentals (STRs).
“With the rise and popularity of web sites that offer any homeowner the chance to earn income on spare bedrooms, and after several media reports promoting such opportunities, we feel it is prudent to shed some light on important matters,” says Jay Karen, PAII’s president and CEO. “We encourage and endorse travelers discovering new options for local, authentic lodging – but we are also concerned about matters of fairness and safety,” added Karen.
“It seems that city councils, mayors and other local governmental authorities have been inconsistent in their treatment and oversight of short-term rentals in their communities,” comments Kristie Rosset, co-owner of Lookout Point Lakeside Inn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and chair of the PAII Board of Directors. “The PAII board strongly recommends a common sense level of allowance, regulation and fairness for short term rentals,” finished Rosset.
The PAII position statement addresses issues such as fair taxation (property owners should collect and pay requisite sales and occupancy taxes), legality (property owners should follow local laws and leasing regulations, or seek to change undesirable ones) and safety (property owners should take extra precautions to protect their guests).
Karen further commented, “We don’t want to see any more Draconian laws, like the one in New York, which renders nearly all short-term rentals and B&Bs illegal in New York City. Rather we want to see local authorities find ways to properly and fairly regulate the market. Collectively from coast-to-coast, the amount of uncollected taxes from these in-home short term rentals alone is staggering and would be quite meaningful to local communities. We are concerned about the safety and well-being of travelers staying in homes of people who are not in the primary business of providing lodging,” added Karen.
The leadership at PAII wants local authorities to realize there is a difference between B&Bs and small inns being run as regulated, tax-paying businesses and much of the short-term rental market. Yet the two markets often find themselves in the same space with regard to competing against the larger hotel market, and defending themselves as choices that are beneficial to travelers and local communities. In the end, PAII believes that fairness and safety should be the concerns of both property owners and local government.
About PAII: The Professional Association of Innkeepers International, founded in 1988, and headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, is the innkeeping industry's largest trade association. PAII provides education, communications, public relations, advocacy, networking, and research services to its membership and the greater industry. For more information, visit www.innkeeping.org.
For a tongue-in-cheek video: http://youtu.be/FogDwH2SFxQ
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