VRMA Administrator
The city council of Knoxville, Tennessee, held a workshop to discuss stricter regulation of short-term rentals. The current ordinance requires owners to secure a permit to operate their properties, but research suggests some rentals are being overlooked. The Knoxville Area Association of Realtors found short-term rentals only account for 0.2 percent of home units, and there were approximately 618 short-term rental listings in Knoxville at last count. Yet the city said they only have about 447 operating permits. The city said in the workshop that while it attempts to locate these non-permitted properties and get them permitted, it does not aggressively pursue them. Councilman Charles Thomas urged more aggressive enforcement. The city also said that neighbors with complaints about short-term rental properties can contact a hotline, which in 2022 received calls from only two people. Such complaints are typically made to the Knoxville Police Department, and Councilwoman Amelia Parker said, "I'm thinking about cross-referencing 911 calls because if we're not doing that, I don't see how we're going to identify violations."
WBIR (Tennessee) (11/10/22) Katelyn Keenehan
