New regulations on Airbnb hosts don’t seem to be putting a damper on the their numbers in Nashville. A new city ordinance requires all hosts to obtain a short-term rental permit and goes into effect July 1.
The permit makes it easier for the city to collect hotel taxes when people rent out their homes or apartments through popular online apps. There were worries that the $50 permit would decrease Nashville’s listings, which at one point were growing faster than anywhere else in the country.
But Councilwoman Burkley Allen says Airbnbs continue to multiply.
“When we started there were like 200 of these and now there are 1500,” Allen says. “It was in the process of exploding when we started the process and it has continued to grow as we’ve gone through it.”
The codes department says that 729 permits have been issued as of Friday, with as many as a dozen applied for each day. However, not everyone has complied. There are currently more Airbnb listings online than permits issued.
Enforcement begins Wednesday but depends exclusively on neighbor’s reporting violators to the city.
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