The new year has brought Philadelphia a new regulatory regime for short-term rental (STR) properties. Since 2015, the city has required many STR owners to obtain zoning permits for businesses operated out of their own homes. Investment properties where a host doesn’t live have always been illegal without a hotel license. In both cases, the rules were rarely enforced. City Council in 2021 passed a bill that sought to tighten oversight. Now many people who have built businesses around STRs say the change, paired with a sluggish schedule at the Zoning Board of Adjustments, will impact their livelihoods.
Philadelphia Inquirer (12/29/22)