Buffalo lawmakers this week increased the licensing fees for short-term rental properties and penalties for operating them without a license to help the city respond to a proliferation of Airbnbs and other rentals, officials said.
At the end of last year, 929 dwellings were advertised as short-term rentals in the city. Of those, 148 were licensed and 781 were not, according to Catherine Amdur, commissioner of the city’s Department of Permit and Inspection Services.
The numbers do fluctuate, she said.
The Council on Tuesday increased the penalty for operating a short-term rental without a license from $75 to $500. It also increased by hundreds of dollars the initial licensing fee and annual renewal fees for the properties.
The main purpose of the new legislation is to balance the interests of residents and property owners to safeguard the integrity of local neighborhoods, city lawmakers said.
“Frequently, I am reached out to by neighbors with quality-of-life concerns when guests stay in short-term rentals that are adjacent to them,” said Fillmore Common Council Member Mitchell P. Nowakowski, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “Most of their concerns are with non-owner-occupied units essentially running as unregulated hotels in residential neighborhoods.”
“Our goal is to protect the quality of life for residents while allowing property owners to participate in the sharing economy,” said Common Council President Christopher P. Scanlon, who represents the South District and co-sponsored the resolution.
The Council unanimously approved the amendments Tuesday.
New fee schedule. Under the new amendments, the fee for a first-time certificate for owner-occupied short-term rental properties is going from $150 to $400. Annual renewal fees for them increase from $75 to $200.
The fee for first-time certificates for non-owner-occupied short-term rentals is going from $250 to $650. Annual renewal fees for them go from $150 to…
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