Columbia weighs Airbnb crackdown. What local hosts, renters need to know
Columbia City Council has established a committee that will work on an ordinance that could put limits on Airbnbs and other short-term rentals in the capital city.
On Tuesday afternoon, Councilmen Howard Duvall, Will Brennan and Sam Davis were appointed to the group that will discuss the possible short-term rental crackdown. Tuesday’s meeting at the Busby Street center was the first in-person city council meeting in 16 months. The council had been meeting virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Columbia has been considering a possible ordinance that could, among other things, ban short-term rentals in residential areas unless the owner lives at the property. There are more than 600 short-term rentals in Columbia.
Duvall told The State in a June story that there have been complaints about noise and loud parties stemming from some short-term rentals, and he was concerned that could lead to a deteriorating quality of life in those neighborhoods.
But short-term rental owners have pushed back. Local Airbnb host David Bergmann said that banning non-owner occupied short-term rentals in Columbia would take out more than 90% of short-term rentals in the city.
“We are in favor of fair and reasonable regulations, but we want to make sure we’re still able to stay in business,” Bergmann told The State in June.
In a public comment left in the city’s online agenda portal Tuesday morning, resident Maudra Brown said the city should be nuanced in its approach to how it handles short-term rentals.
“We are growing daily, and diversity in options for our visitors is key to maintaining this momentum,” Brown said. “I believe that the council should consider how it may enforce current laws and resources to address ‘bad apples’ in the short-term rental space instead of punishing with a ‘broad brush’ those who are building business and providing quality, safe, and necessary alternatives in the city for families to visit and enjoy.”
Mayor Steve Benjamin said Tuesday that sending the short-term rental issue to committee will allow for more robust discussion among Council members and members of the public.
“The shaping of any proposed (short-term rental) ordinance will happen in that ad hoc committee,” Benjamin said.
Duvall said there is not yet a date set for the first short-term rental committee meeting, but said one would be planned “expeditiously.”
“I consider this will be a several months (long) event,” Duvall said of the coming committee process, and noted the group will be prepared to receive ample testimony from the community.
In 2018, Charleston adopted a similar rule that restricted short term rental units to certain neighborhoods and required hosts to live on-site. Despite this, the city has struggled to enforce these rules and has been overrun with several illegal units, The Post and Courier reported.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 2:57 PM.
