Short-term rental advocacy program

Learn how Vacasa advocates for vacation rental and short-term rental regulations
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What is short-term rental advocacy?

Short-term rental advocacy strives to protect vacation rental owners’ right to rent their homes, as well as defend the rights of guests and their ability to choose the accommodation that best suits their travel needs.

Why is it important to short-term rental owners?

As vacation rentals have gained more popularity, counties, cities, towns, and villages have proposed and adopted short-term rental ordinances over the years. While many ordinances contain reasonable regulations, others are overreaching and seek to negatively impact an industry that drives tourism, tax revenue, and other economic benefits.

Our approach is pragmatic

At Vacasa, we are in favor of reasonable regulation.

Through our Short-Term Rental Advocacy Program, we engage with state and local officials, other advocacy groups, local businesses, and homeowners to push for effective policies and educate stakeholders on the economic benefits of vacation rentals.

Modern vacation rental management.

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How Vacasa defends our homeowners’ right to rent

Amplifying local voices

We provide our local teams with impactful messaging as they often attend city and county meetings with government officials and other vacation rental industry partners. We also deploy campaigns to broadly engage and inform our homeowner base, encouraging them to get involved when appropriate, while staying within the bounds of state lobbying rules.

Putting facts first

We support local campaigns and other advocacy organizations with helpful resources (e.g. tax revenue generated by Vacasa homes in a given market), which can aid in dismantling some of the claims that are shared from the opposing side.

Funding critical efforts

Vacasa recognizes the value of grassroots efforts and has a dedicated STR Advocacy budget to support local education and PR campaigns that meet certain criteria. We’ll also contribute to viable legal challenges of recently passed regulations.

How to stay informed about local regulations or new ordinances

We do the heavy lifting on behalf of our owners and when new vacation rentals are being proposed, we let them know—especially if there are ways to get involved or engage with officials.

If you want to track on your own, Google is a helpful place to start by conducting a keyword search of municipal codes. You can also reference your city, county, or town website or contact its planning department. Finally, you can join local government email distribution lists to receive updates directly to your inbox.

Short-term rental regulation basics

Common areas ordinances target
  • Location (zoning, overlay districts, types of dwellings)
  • Duration (length of stay)
  • Limitation (permit caps, caps on the nights, or number of stays per year)
  • Permission (varying types of permits or licenses)
  • Operation (in-home signage, local response time, trash, noise, parking, neighbor notification, check-in rules)
  • Violation (fine schedules, license revocation, or suspension)
How ordinances are structured
  • Whereas clauses (attempts to justify the need for the new rules)
  • Definitions
    • Could help you identify whether the ordinance applies or not
    • Pay attention to terms like “STR,” “bedroom,” “sleeping area,” “owner”
  • Limitations on location (could be amendments to the zoning ordinance)
  • Permit, license, certificate, or registration with application requirements
  • Operational standards
  • Violations and penalties
Common “high-risk” language to look for in an ordinance
  • Bans or phaseouts and “grandfathering” clauses
  • Permit caps
  • Zoning overlays/restrictions
  • Reduced occupancy limits
  • Tax increases for STRs
  • Public health & safety regulations (parking, trash, noise, inspections, background checks)


5 scenarios where we take action

  1. STR work sessions and/or listening sessions (precursor to proposals)
  2. Draft ordinance proposals
  3. Ballot initiatives
  4. HOA votes or association regulations (Selectively)
  5. Ongoing advocacy work and public education

How to join your local coalition

Vacasa is involved in many local coalitions throughout the country and we encourage our homeowners to get involved, too.

We often direct our homeowners to their local coalition in our communications. Homeowners with questions about how to get involved can also email publicaffairs@vacasa.com for specific information.

STR advocacy FAQ

Vacasa does not form local coalitions but can put our owners in touch with existing coalitions so they get involved if desired.

Yes, we work with our larger booking channel partners like Airbnb and Vrbo on STR advocacy.

Yes, Vacasa tracks current regulations, as well as proposed changes to both local and state regulations, to ensure our homeowners are compliant.

Let's get started

Talk to us

You've got questions. We've got answers.

Call 844-518-0967 to speak with a Homeowner Consultant, who can answer preliminary questions and see if we’d be a good fit for you.

If you'd like to move forward, we’ll put you in touch with our market expert in your neighborhood to explore the financial potential of your home, outline our management fee, and introduce your local team.

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California licenses
Vacasa Seasonals Inc.
California DRE #02160171


Vacation Palm Springs Real Estate, Inc.
California DRE #01523013

Vacasa offers property management and other real estate services directly through Vacasa LLC and through Vacasa LLC's licensed subsidiaries. Click here for more information about Vacasa's licensed real estate brokerage/property manager in your state. Vacasa’s licensed real estate brokerages/property managers include: Vacasa Alabama LLC; Vacasa Arizona LLC; Vacasa of Arkansas LLC; Vacasa Colorado LLC (Micah Victory); Vacasa Delaware LLC, 302-541-8999; Vacasa Florida LLC; Vacasa Illinois LLC 481.014072, Micah Victory Managing Broker Lic# 471.021837; Vacasa Louisiana LLC, Dana MacCord, Principal Broker, ph 504.252.0155 (Licensed in LA); Vacasa Michigan LLC, 602-330-9934; Vacasa Missouri LLC, Vicki Lyn Brown, Designated Broker; Vacasa Nevada LLC; Vacasa New Hampshire LLC,45 NH-25, Meredith, NH 03253, Susan Scanlon, Broker of Record; Vacasa Minnesota, Broker: Micah Victory, license #40877637; Vacasa New Mexico LLC, 503-345-9399; Vacasa New York LLC, 888-433-0068, Susan Scanlon, Real Estate Broker; Vacasa North Carolina LLC; Vacasa Oregon LLC; Vacasa Pennsylvania LLC; Vacation Palm Springs Real Estate, Inc., California DRE #01523013, Mark Graham, California DRE #00700720; Vacasa Real Estate LLC (licensed in Texas, Debra Brock, Designated Broker); Vacasa Real Estate LLC (licensed in Washington, Robert Brush, Designated Broker); Vacasa Seasonals Inc., California DRE #02160171, Lisa Renee Stevens, California DRE #01485234; Vacasa South Carolina LLC; Vacasa South Dakota LLC; Vacasa Tennessee LLC; Vacasa Vacation Rentals of Hawaii LLC, 69-201 Waikoloa Beach Dr. Ste. #2F17, Waikoloa, HI 96738; Vacasa Vacation Rentals of Montana LLC, Terah M. Young, Licensed Property Manager; Vacasa Virginia LLC; Vacasa Wisconsin LLC; Vacasa Wyoming LLC. In Canada, this advertisement is provided by Vacasa Canada ULC, CPBC lic. number 75826, 172 Asher Rd. V1X 3H6 Kelowna, BC.