Hillsborough County tightens rules on short-term rentals

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County is tightening its rules for short-term rental properties following complaints from neighbors about noise, parking and disruptive guests.

New short-term rental registration

What we know:

Beginning in January, short-term rental owners will have to register their properties with the county and pay an annual $200 fee. 

Owners will also be responsible for their guests' behavior. If a guest violates county code enforcement rules, the property owner could face a fine.

The new rules also require owners to have someone available 24 hours a day who can respond to a reported violation and get to the property within one hour. Owners must make sure renters are aware of county rules and other important information, including safety information, trash and recycling pickup dates, parking regulations and the county's noise ordinance.

The ordinance passed unanimously after being proposed by Commissioner Harry Cohen last month.

Addressing neighborhood complaints

The backstory:

County commissioners said they had been receiving a significant number of complaints from neighbors living near short-term rentals. The concerns included excessive noise, parking issues and disruptive guests.

Those complaints prompted Cohen to propose the new ordinance as a way to give the county more oversight of short-term rental properties and provide neighbors with a way to get problems addressed more quickly.

The commission ultimately approved the measure unanimously.

There were also concerns raised during the discussion about how the new rules could affect property owners.

Among the questions were whether the county should be allowed to conduct random inspections of short-term rental properties and whether the $200 annual registration fee could be too much of a burden for some owners.

Cohen said those issues can be revisited once the county has had an opportunity to see how the new regulations work.

Local official response

What they're saying:

Cohen said the goal is to give neighbors more relief when short-term rental properties become a source of ongoing problems.

"I want to assure everyone this really is just the beginning of the process. But it's a very meaningful step forward that is going to give the neighborhoods some relief and some ability to have the professional help of our staff available to them to enforce laws and regulations to keep our neighborhoods safe and peaceful."

Upcoming ordinance review

What's next:

The new rules take effect in January. Cohen wants county staff to provide a report 90 days after the regulations go into effect.

Commissioners will then review how the rules are working and determine whether any changes are needed. That review could include the questions surrounding random inspections and the $200 annual fee.