VRMA Administrator
Hilton Head, South Carolina, is trying to regulate the island's short-term rental community, a situation complicated by not knowing exactly how many rentals exist, nor how much that number has changed since local property owners began leveraging the appeal of Airbnb. In May, the local government passed its first short-term rental ordinance, requiring owners to apply for a yearly permit and pay $250 for each privately owned residential property rented to visitors for less than 30 days. More recently, the town unveiled a partnership with GovOS, which Town Manager Marc Orlando says will help Hilton Head know who is renting out what. VRMA Treasurer Dru Brown, co-founder of Island Time Hilton Head, supports the town tallying up short-term rentals, as a precise number could help business owners like himself get a more accurate handle on the competition. He is less sanguine about regulating properties, concerned that imposing occupancy limits would adversely impact the island's economy. "A person bought their property, and they can choose to do with it whatever they want," Brown says. "And now the town is going to retroactively step in and say, 'No, you can't do that?'"
Post and Courier (09/10/22) Kelly Jean Kelly
