Seattle to review revised plan for Airbnb, other short-term rentals

Nearly a year after proposing regulations for short-term rentals, such as those listed on Airbnb and VRBO, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess will try again.

Burgess, who shelved his initial proposal last summer after short-term rental hosts complained it would be too restrictive, announced a revised proposal Monday.

Under the initial proposal, only hosts using their primary residences would have been allowed to operate short-term rentals year-round. Hosts using secondary residences would have been limited to renting out those homes for no more than 90 nights per year.

The main goal, Burgess said at the time, was to prevent landlords from choosing tourists over tenants by turning their apartment buildings into de-facto hotels.

He warned about Airbnb and other internet platforms eating into Seattle’s permanent housing supply and making it harder for local people to find affordable homes.

But some hosts showed up at council meetings to slam his proposal, worried about losing the ability to use their secondary homes as accommodations for paying visitors.

They said they were using money made through Airbnb and other platforms to pay off their mortgages, send their children to college and help with retirement.

So Burgess went back to the drawing board. Under the revised proposal, hosts would be allowed to operate their primary residences and up to one additional residence as short-term rentals year-round. The hosts wouldn’t be allowed to operate more than one additional residence as a short-term rental, however.

“I think we’ve struck the right balance, and I look forward to more review in the weeks ahead as the council considers this ordinance,” Burgess said in a news release.

Hosts already are supposed to have business licenses. Under the new proposal, as under the initial proposal, each host also would need to obtain a new short-term rental-operator license issued by the city.

The hosts would need to show proof of using only a primary or secondary residence, include their license number on any listing, provide a local phone number for guests to contact, sign a declaration that the residence is up to code and post basic safety information for guests in the residence.

Each short-term rental service, such as Airbnb, would need to obtain a new short-term rental-platform license; provide information about the city’s regulations to hosts; work only with licensed hosts; and share some data with the city on a quarterly basis.

The proposed changes would close a gap in Seattle’s land-use regulations. Hotels are barred from the city’s residential zones, though bed-and-breakfast lodgings have been allowed in certain situations for several decades. Established B&Bs would not be affected by the plan, but new ones would be considered short-term rentals.

In recent years, internet-based services have grown. Airbnb had more than 3,900 hosts in Seattle in January, according to the company.

Burgess’ new proposals would cover residences rented out for 30 or fewer nights at a time. Residences rented out longer than 30 nights, such as those serving temporary workers and people undergoing lengthy medical treatments, wouldn’t be affected.

In a statement, Laura Spanjian, Airbnb’s Northwest public-policy director, said the company welcomes Burgess’ revised proposal.

“We continue to work closely with the city on developing regulations that will protect Seattle’s long-term housing stock while allowing thousands of responsible Airbnb hosts to share their homes to earn meaningful supplemental income to help make ends meet,” Spanjian said.

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections on Monday issued a determination under the State Environmental Policy Act that the proposed changes wouldn’t have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.

The department is taking public comments on its determination and potential environmental impact through May 8.