by Morgan Montalvo
WOAI News
Local short-term rental property owners can now formally register homes, apartments and condos to comply with "home share" ordinances passed by City Council late in 2018, News Radio 1200 reports.
City officials and Airbnb representatives last evening hosted the first short-term rental licensing event at the Blue Star.
Ben Breit with Airbnb says the two years city staffers took to research the short-term rental industry and laws in ether cities before making their recommendations to council members resulted in a set of ordinances that all parties consider fair.
Breit says the local rules cover a range of rental-related questions.
"It was a good compromise that clarified how taxes are gonna work and how you register to pay those if you're hosting, where you can share your home, how often you can share our home, and things like that," he says."
The homeowners who are sharing their homes, they actually typically want regulations because legal ambiguity is never a good thing if you're trying to figure out what you can and can't do with your home," Breit added.
Airbnb and the city will host a second registration and question-and-answer event tonight at Kunstler Brewing, 302 E. Lachapelle, off South Flores Street tonight, beginning at 6 p.m.
Airbnb properties in Bexar County generated almost $28M in revenue in 2018, according to industry reports.
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