Short Term Rental Owners

Guide for Property Owners

Overview

Short-term rental accommodations, facilitated by online booking platforms, have become one of the most common places people stay when they travel. They provide flexible, unique accommodations to visitors to Buena Vista while making it easier for homeowners to start a part-time bed and breakfast-type business. Like any hospitality business, it is important to have basic regulations to ensure the health and safety of guests, limit potential negative impacts on neighboring properties, and collect taxes in a fair and consistent way. Tax revenue from lodging businesses directly supports our regional tourism organization and funds marketing and promotion of our area.

Definitions

Below are definitions in Buena Vista’s zoning code for key terms. Note that these may differ from plain-English use of these terms, or use of these terms by any particular online platform such as Airbnb or VRBO.

Short-term rental(STR) means a dwelling, or portion of a dwelling, used or advertised for transient occupancy in increments of 30 or fewer consecutive days. This use type does not include bed-and-breakfast establishments and does not apply to month-to-month extensions following completion of a year’s lease.

Host means the person who is owner and operator of the Residential Transient Occupancy premises.

Transient means for a period of 30 days or less in the context of a guest accommodation unit, or means a guest occupying such a unit.

Residential Transient Occupancy means a Bed and Breakfast Homestay, a Bed and Breakfast Inn, a Type A Short Term Rental, or a Type B Short Term Rental. The term does not include hotels.

Type A Short Term Rental means a short-term rental where the host is the permanent resident of the dwelling, and the host is present during the short-term rental.

Type B Short Term Rental means a short-term rental where the host is not the permanent resident of the dwelling, or where the permanent resident of the dwelling is not present during the guest’s stay.

Note: Bed & Breakfasts are different from Short-term rentals because Bed & Breakfasts serve prepared food, and therefore are regulated by the Virginia Department of Health. Alternate City regulations apply to them as well.

How to Register a Short-Term Rental

All short-term rental hosts must register their units with the City prior to making them available for booking.

1. Review regulations to ensure the proposed unit meets them. See more details below.
2. Submit application and $30 fee to the Department of Community Development via the Online Permit Portal
3. Building Official coordinates and conducts rental inspections for basic health and safety building code-related requirements.
4. Staff approve STR unit.
5. Obtain paperwork for lodging tax remission from Finance Department.
6. List unit and begin hosting!

Specific Regulations

*STRs are permitted in any dwelling unit in the City.