Airbnb owner responds to City of Boise short-term rental policy proposals

Posted by Fernande Dalal on Saturday, August 24, 2024

Mayor Bieter is proposing changes to short term rentals in Boise, targeted at Airbnb’s and the like.

Bieter says the proposed amendments would help housing availability and pricing.

They target rooms or units that people rent out for less than 30 days at a time like Airbnb's.

Mayor Bieter says some are concerned about how the rentals could impact neighborhoods when it comes to noise and traffic.

Some are also concerned that the short-term rentals could take away options for long-term renting or home-ownership.

The four amendments would require the owner to live on the property.

It would also require new short-term rental units to be approved by the city.

Only one rental unit would be allowed on the property and the units would have to comply with development code standards such as parking and noise.

CBS 2 News spoke with Scott Sweet, one of the many owners of Airbnb properties living here in Boise.

Both Sweet and his wife live on the same property as their Airbnb unit. But, sweet says he's been looking into buying another property to rent out on Airbnb.

But, if new policies take effect, he wouldn't be able to do that if he won't be living on the property.

"We're just trying to make investments for our future,” Sweet said. “That could be a really big hindrance. We really do want to try another Airbnb, we've loved it so far. People really maintain the properties very well."

You can provide your own thoughts on the proposed policies by taking an online survey with the City of Boise.

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