Vacation Rental Professionals Network

'We need to take bold action': Canmore, Calgary, Canada introduces new taxes for tourist homes. The Town of Canmore is moving forward with its plans to phase out "tourist homes" by implementing a new set of rules for short-term rental properties. The new rules will require current owners offering short-term vacation rentals to acquire a business licence, increase the fee for the licence and introduce fines for violators of the bylaw. The change follows the introduction of a vacancy tax approved by council over the summer and stems from recommendations of a Livability Taskforce, which was tasked with tackling the housing crisis in town and increasing vacancy for permanent or long-term residents. “The message is we need to take bold action to save our community as we know it,” said Mayor Sean Krausert. “If we continue on the way we have been going or the way most mountain towns have gone, and that’s not doing anything bold or different to address the situation, we will go the way of other mountain towns before us of becoming simply an enclave of the very wealthy, we’ll lose a lot of young families.” Business Registry License Bylaw requires a license for tourist homes operating as a business, such as offering rentals through Airbnb and Vrbo, but also allows fines for anyone operating without a license. The change is expected to add around 650 to 700 licences which will generate $97,500 in revenue for the town annually. The business licence fee is also being hiked 15 per cent, which is the first time it has been increased since 2015. Operating a tourist home for short-term rentals without a license could result in a $2,500 fine for the first violation, $5,000 for a second violation, and up to a maximum of $10,000 for third or subsequent offenses. #canada #canmore #calgary #regulations #affordablehousing #homes #residents #community #license #tax #revenue https://lnkd.in/g4MqYTvB

Barcelona’s housing crunch: calls to ease restrictions and protect investors. Barcelona’s housing crisis, intensified by restrictive legislation and mounting opposition to short-term rentals like Airbnb, mirrors the struggles faced by other Spanish tourist cities and has sparked calls for government intervention to protect property investors and stabilize the market. The housing crisis in Barcelona, as in other major tourist hotspots like Madrid and Malaga is problematic. Added to this is the proliferation of legislation which seems to be targeting landlords across the country, especially growing contempt towards Airbnb and its tourist entourage. There are current appeals to the Government to end the war on property investors and to rein in tax hikes and new reforms which could drive landlords out of the market. Consequences of the housing crisis in Barcelona generating social problems What is most concerning of course are the secondary and even tertiary consequences of such a housing crisis provoked by mass tourism and a hand-over of investment opportunities to foreign capital. In the most extreme of cases, the minimal supply of housing at affordable rental prices is generating a growing population of squatters like the predicament of Moroccan immigrant, Chaymae, who with her four-year-old son faces eviction from a building that she was granted by a tenant’s union that had been uninhabited for two years. The question niggles: what options does she have now? Barcelona’s residents struggle to find a rental property as overrun by visitors to the city. This is not an isolated case. Nor is it a remote possibility for some who face the worrying burden of extortionate rent prices in Barcelona and a massively reduced supply. Barcelona has 1.7 million residents, but every year, it is flooded by 32 million visitors from across the globe. As its global renown has grown and foreign investment has soared, locals are struggling to afford property in their city as rent prices are inaccessible against a backdrop of stagnant wage top-ups. #europe #barcelona #regulations #tax #housing #affordablehousing https://lnkd.in/gHJdtFdp

Look at our friend and fellow group member Nico Molino and his company, Live In Luxury, which was Featured on Staycation's three-time Emmy Award-winning show! Congrats, Nico! Live In Luxury's premier property in Dallas, TX, has been featured on Staycation's 3-time Emmy Award Winning show! This episode features the 7 best Airbnbs to stay at while visiting the Dallas Fort-Worth area. The property is a 110-year-old Piggly Wiggly grocery store turned 6 Bedroom, 4 bathrooms, 5,000 Sq. Ft. Duplex. The exposed brick and air ducts give that beautiful rustic and industrial feel. The luxury finishes, giant murals, 9-foot plant walls, and incredible design make your stay a one-of-a-kind experience! #liveinluxury #vacationrental #airbnb #tv #tvshow #texas #unique #luxury #shorttermrental #Staycations Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/gjW69GJY

Sunbathing tourists flee Spanish beaches after being targeted by latest anti-tourism protests. Protest are continuing across some of Spain's most popular tourist destinations. With locals taking to the streets and beaches of hotspots including Barcelona and Tenerife to demand action against overwhelming tourism numbers and the effect it has on driving up rent prices. On Sunday, over 8,000 protesters marched through the streets, chanting: "We don't need more tourists." Demonstrators targeted major tourist hotspots in the Canary Islands, including beaches where foreign sunbathers were forced to take cover or leave, Manchester Evening News reports. Locals were calling for measures like increased tourist taxes or even a complete halt on tourism to the area entirely. On Tenerife's Playa de las Americas and Troya beaches, hundreds of protesters disrupted the midday calm rallying behind the slogan "The Canary Islands have a limit" and declaring "more tourists, more misery." #europe #overtourism #Manchester #Tenerife #tourism #spain #Troyabeaches https://lnkd.in/gfKr_w5x

Airbnb owners in Marseille, France, must own two properties, one as a long-term rental and the other for a short-term rental. Would this be a solution work around the world? Marseille’s mayor has come up with a novel but hard-hitting plan to force short term rental landlords to buy a second property and list it as a long term rental. The move comes in a bid to support local residents who are being overwhelmed by the tight squeeze on available accommodation for long term tenancies. Marseille is yet another European city that’s trying to reduce the pressures for local residents caused by over tourism. Speaking to Marseille local radio station, Francelnfo, Benôit Payan said the plan was to not only make more long term accommodation available but also to curb the large numbers of profiting non-residents. An effective solution is needed for local people who feel priced out and pushed out of their beloved city by the large supply of mainly Airbnb rentals geared towards the tourism sector. Payan accused some of the hosts of the 12,000 properties of trying to “make money off the back of the people of Marseille.” The mayor also wants to crack down on landlords who are renting sub standard and neglected homes for above-value prices. #france #ownership #homeownership #propertyowners #regulations #airbnb #vrbo #shorttermrental #vacationrental #holidaylets #french #hosts #propertymanagement https://lnkd.in/gSbGaeHd

Please help me choose a name for our new directory project! The resource will help professionals easily navigate rental management from A to Z and find trusted suppliers, dedicated management companies, hosts, and co-hosts. As you all know, I’m working on a new directory site to connect vacation rental professionals (all rental professionals) and service providers (all rental service providers). This platform will allow businesses to showcase their services and offer exclusive perks to our community. But I need your help! I’ve brainstormed some potential names, and I’d love to get your feedback. Which of these resonates with you the most? Or do you have any other suggestions? Drop your thoughts in the comments or vote in the survey below! 👇 THANK YOU! Here are the current ideas: * vacationrentalperks.com * vrperks.com * vrinsider.com * vacationrentalinsider.com * vrpcollective.com * rentara.co * Other, please include your idea in the comments. #names #help #support #directoryname #naming #community #ideas #creative #directorysite

Tourists abandon popular British holiday hotspot - sparking panic among locals. This story is about "be careful about what you wish for." Tourism in Cornwall could be hit as holiday homes are abandoned and many people have been forced to sell up as the area is losing out on the money from visitors. Cornwall's idyllic coastal towns might soon see beaches bereft of tourists, with increasing alarm among experts. Travel agencies have sounded the alarm as a number of Brits are choosing cheaper holidays abroad over local staycations which is wreaking havoc on the industry. The surge in utility costs and council tax is making it harder for Airbnb and vacation property owners to keep businesses afloat in the UK. Zak Ali, a commercial leader at Together Travel, said travel agents are staring down the barrel of mass job cuts due to a shortage of available properties. He said: "Agents are losing properties as a direct result of not being able to deliver on bookings because of the uncertainty on the market." Additionally, property owners are getting hit by the axing of the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) next year. FHLs, which were short-stay holiday rentals benefiting from tax breaks, are set to be stripped of these perks from April 6, 2025, escalating costs for owners. Mr Ali noted impending changes to FHL regulations are causing widespread worry and complications, leading many owners to offload their properties. Starting next year, revenues and profits from FHLs will merge into the owner's wider property business and be taxed similarly to all other property earnings and capital gains, reports Express.co.uk. According to the latest house price index by property website Zoopla, Truro in Cornwall experienced the largest surge in homes for sale in September compared to any other region in the country. The market saw a 47 per cent increase in properties last month in Truro and surrounding areas compared to the average for the previous six Septembers. Despite Cornwall being one of the UK's top holiday destinations, it is losing out on a key supply of tourists as week-long package deals abroad become cheaper than holiday lets. This comes alongside a looming 100% hike in council tax for Cornish domiciles classified as second homes, also effective from April 2025. Mr Ali has highlighted the current struggle in the property industry to retain staff, as there are not enough homes for employees to manage. He said: "I know for a fact larger agencies who have a lot of staff have been making redundancies because of lower expected income and the dwindling numbers of properties." #cornwall #UK #unitedkingdom #tourism #homes #realestate #realestateprices #europe #regulations #warning #homesales #tax #uktax #layoffs #employment #business #labor #british #britian https://lnkd.in/gNBU_WSw

2024 VRMA International Conference = Verdict? What was your experience like? I ran across this post from Dennis Goedheid, seeking feedback on the event and this thread. Things aren't looking good in light of the ongoing challenges of the viability of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA). #vrma #conference #phoenix #az #shorttermrentals #industryevents Annie Holcombe Russ Kraft Jen Ford Connor Paton Madison Rifkin

Landlord’s suit against Airbnb, the tenant may set a precedent. Property owner can go to court to enforce city’s short-term rental law: judge The fight over Airbnb rages on in a five-story apartment building in Lincoln Square. An LLC tied to Canvas Property Group registered its building at 207 Columbus Avenue on the city’s “Prohibited Building List,” making it off limits to short-term rentals, such as those offered on Airbnb. But a tenant allegedly rented out her unit on Airbnb anyway. The list was created by Local Law 18, which requires short-term rental hosts to register their listings with the city. Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are supposed to verify the listings before posting them. Airbnb fought the law, which the City Council passed in December 2021. The platform argued that the law was tantamount to a ban on short-term rental companies. Last year, Canvas filed a lawsuit against Airbnb and tenant Carmen Magarin de Dominguez, alleging the tenant has rented out her apartment on Airbnb although the property is on the Prohibited Building List and not registered for short-term rentals. Airbnb filed a motion to dismiss Canvas’ lawsuit but it was denied in August. In her decision, state Supreme Court Judge Suzanne Adams agreed that a lawsuit was a proper way for the landlords to seek justice. “It is reasonable to infer from these facts alleged that Airbnb is collecting fees from the subject premises in violation of Local Law 18,” she wrote. #landlords #airbnb #court #suit #ruling #newyork #supremecourt #state #lawsuit https://lnkd.in/g4SM_XWS

New strategies for avoiding vacation rental 'gotchas'. Christopher Elliott - Special to USA TODAY Key Points: * Vacation rental prices are increasing. * Hidden fees, deceptive photos, and rigged reviews are some of the pitfalls to watch out for when booking vacation rentals. * Travelers can mitigate risks by comparing prices across multiple platforms, scrutinizing photos and reviews, and carefully reading listing descriptions for hidden fees. If you're looking for a vacation rental this holiday season, you already know about the biggest gotcha: the high price. I found that out when I looked for an apartment in Dublin recently. The rates were pushing $200 a night for a two-bedroom apartment. And on Airbnb, it seemed everyone had set the prices the same – as if they were being controlled by the same invisible hand. It isn't my imagination, said Eric Goldreyer, CEO of #bnbfinder.com, a book-direct vacation rental site. "One reason vacation rentals are generally more expensive is that hosts often raise their rates to cover service fees they too are being hit with from sites." So, what are the biggest gotchas for vacation rental customers? And what are the workarounds? They range from new tools to time-tested strategies. Put them together, and you can still find an affordable apartment or condo for the winter holidays. What are some of the other vacation gotchas? Of course, once you get past the high price, other gotchas await. They include: * Deceptive photos. Artificial intelligence has made it ridiculously easy to generate pictures that make a vacation rental look too good to be true, according to Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University. "Do your research and look for inconsistencies in the photos," he said. (For example, many AI generators will add inaccurate shading or misplaced fingernails.) * Extra fees. The worst are extra cleaning fees tacked on to the price of your rental. Other vacation rentals charge vague "service" fees, which can cover other extras. Some charge extra for parking or utilities. You can negotiate some of the fees off your bill if you ask before you rent. "Always read the entire listing and any associated policies," advises Steve Turk, a partner at Tangy Management, a property management company. "Pay close attention to the cost breakdown before booking." * Rigged reviews. I've received too many recent complaints about the reliability of property reviews to look the other way. It's too easy for vacation rental owners to remove unfavorable reviews of their property, claiming a "terms of service" violation, say critics. Matt Berk, a real estate investor in Jacksonville, Fla., has been both a vacation rental host and guest. He said he can't trust reviews anymore. "I've had it," he adds. #prices #shorttermrentals #vacationrentals #reviews #fees #extrafees #fakereviews #trust #hichee #photos https://lnkd.in/grJGiuW9