People who live in Prairie Village, Kansas, who want to make extra cash listing their properties on Airbnb will have to register with the city and pay an annual rental fee.
Assistant City Administrator Wes Jordan says the issue’s been on the backburner for months, but the city couldn’t figure out how to categorize the short-term rentals.
“Is an Airbnb basically a bed and breakfast? And the answer to that is no it is not. It’s a different concept,” Jordan says.
He says the change came after a landlord called asking why homeowners who rent out rooms on Airbnb did not have to pay for a rental license, which costs $77 and requires an annual inspection of the property.
Jordan says adding the Airbnb classification to existing code was much easier than writing a new ordinance.
He added that there are only a handful of Prairie Village homes for rent on Airbnb, so it’s unlikely to create a significant burden on the city codes inspector.
“We don’t feel it would be burdensome on the people on the people renting their homes or rooms out,” Jordan says.
The Prairie Village rentals on Airbnb range from $42 for a single room to $249 for a three-bedroom house.
