The village of Mantua is considering regulations on short-term rentals, including but not limited to those listed on Airbnb, HomeToGo, Vacasa and Vrbo.
A public hearing on a proposed ordinance will be held at Mantua Village Hall on June 18, after which council expects to pass the measure into local law.
The ordinance would require property owners to register with the village and pay a one-time $50 fee. Rentals for any one customer would be limited to 30 days, and the number of renters would max out at double the number of bedrooms plus three.
Property owners must provide proof of at least $1 million in insurance. They would also have to provide a local 24/7 emergency local contact who would be available around the clock.
The penalty for failing to comply with the provisions would be a misdemeanor offense: upon conviction punishable by up to $500, compounded daily.
The idea is to allow property owners to use their properties as short-term rentals while mitigating potential disruption to neighbors, Mayor Tammy Meyer said.
Excluded from the ordinance’s provisions are businesses defined as bed and breakfasts, inns and boarding houses.
Mantua has never regulated short-term rentals, but Meyer said the time has come. She said she knows of two in the village, but there may be others, and more on the way.
“Is this something we need to address? It came up there was at least one that we know of, and do we need to address Airbnbs in the village? It’s getting more popular. You didn’t hear about this five years ago, 10 years ago,” she said.
Council Member Kevin Maloney said council’s goal is to enact consistent, proactive regulations to ensure that “things don’t get out of hand” in the future.
“We’ve all heard the horror stories about Airbnbs where people come in and trash property and the owner’s left holding the bag,” he said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.