Hoping to make money on an Airbnb rental? Local government may soon want a piece of that

If you want to rent out your home through a company like Airbnb, you may face more regulations in the future.

Macon-Bibb County leaders are expected to consider in the coming weeks whether to regulate short-term vacation rentals like those listed on Airbnb and VRBO.

Companies such as those offer property owners a chance to list places — apartments, houses, lofts, rooms and other lodging — they want to rent out as short-term vacation rentals.

But as these types of rentals — typically defined as 30 days or less — have become more popular, Macon-Bibb County government has been missing out on tax revenue and regulating the market, said one commissioner.

Commissioner Virgil Watkins proposes having short-term vacation rental properties register with the county and pay the 7-percent hotel/motel tax. Short-term vacation rentals are similar to a bed-and-breakfast type of lodging and should therefore be taxed, he said.

Watkins said he’s considering not having a registration fee since those properties should also have a business license. There are other standards, such as health code, that short-term rentals should meet as well, he said.

“Having them in a gray area long term is not going to be good for anybody,” he said. “What we’ve seen in different communities throughout the nation and the (short-term rental) growth we’re seeing here justifies it.

“They are competing with the hotel industry, if not the rental market.”

But some of the proposals are not sitting well with some Airbnb hosts.

Since late 2015, Jean Bragg has used Airbnb to rent out fully-furnished lofts on Cherry Street in downtown Macon.

Bragg said she hopes county officials hold off for awhile before implementing short-term vacation rental regulations.

“The number of short-term vacation rentals may not warrant us putting an excise tax on these few units at this time,” she said. “We can revisit it in a couple of years.”

Airbnb listed 131 properties in the Macon area as of Friday. At Bragg’s last count, about half of them were downtown, she said.

“These professional people do not want to stay in a hotel for three or four weeks,” Bragg said. “I think I’m safe in saying out of the downtown units, we are probably more up to code and cleaner than many of the hotels in Macon.”

She said she’s not against permitting, but at this time, it’s not worth the administrative costs for the county to keep up with new regulations. Even more, she said, paying the hotel/motel tax wouldn’t help the general fund since it benefits tourism agencies.

Revenue from the Macon-Bibb hotel/motel tax is divided among the Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Macon Centreplex and other entities tied to tourism.

North Macon resident Joey Ford, who rents out a small house located on the same property as his residence, said the proposed regulations are another example of government overreach.

“This is my space, my home,” he said. “I pay the real estate taxes. Everything is up to code.”

Also, forcing property owners to add a tax could lead to some of those potential guests deciding to rent in Warner Robins or other nearby communities instead.

“It’s a way to have a little extra income for your family, but it does serve our community,” Ford said. “People always ask us where’s a good place to eat, and we’ll recommend downtown, The Rookery.

“To me it’s a positive part of the Macon community.”

It’s a nationwide issue

The topic of short-term rentals has reached the Georgia statehouse where a bill that could place limits on how local governments regulate the properties could come back up for discussion in 2019.

Numerous cities throughout the U.S. have either enacted laws, or city leaders have discussed how to control them.

New York City has among the strictest regulations, including making it illegal to rent out an entire residence for under 30 days, and any short-term rental must have the property owner there at the same time. And the city of Miami Beach bans any rentals under six months, according to CNBC.com.

In Georgia, Savannah has its own regulations for short-term rentals, including a $300 registration fee. City officials wanted to resolve issues with downtown parking and have more accountability when guests caused a nuisance, said Macon-Bibb Assistant County Attorney Michael McNeill.

“It made it easier for the city in terms of maintaining peace and order and made it easier for the owners of these properties in terms of keeping peace with their neighbors,” McNeill said at a public hearing on the proposed Macon-Bibb ordinance.

Columbus also is considering rules and fees for Airbnb rentals, including hosts to complete a permit application and criminal background check. A business license also would be required, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

However, several Macon property owners said their clientele typically attracts professionals or families who don’t cause any problems while in town.

Ford said his renters are sometimes people looking to stop halfway for a night or two before traveling to Florida for vacation. Or maybe it’s a family member of a local college student coming in for a few days.

“Really in the Macon community — and for our property — the issue of safety and community nuisance is really a straw man (argument),” Ford said. “It’s really more about how the county is going to get some revenue.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2018 at 12:00 AM.