S.B. from Belknap County, New Hampshire writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Our condo association (a quaint, family-centric community) could be a prime target for owners coming in and engaging in AirBnB. We’ve seen it close by at large homes and elsewhere in the town. What’s a good revised by-law strategy to limit the adverse impact of AirBnB clients without unfair clamping down on owners who would legally rent on occasion.
Mister Condo replies:
S.B., AirBnB has certainly made a huge impact on the short-term rental market. Many condos and HOAs were forced to adjust their rental policies in order to protect their properties from turning into hotels with frequent AirBnB guests using their amenities as they would a hotel. While some communities actually have no problem with short-term rentals, the vast majority have put regulations in place that effectively make it unlikely or unprofitable for a unit owner to rent out their unit using a short-term rental service like AirBnB. Simply put, you can’t simply restrict AirBnB; you need to restrict all short-term rentals. Many associations have a 6 or 12 month minimum rental period. Others restrict the number of times per year a unit can be rented. However your association decides to restrict its rentals, be sure to follow the rules for doing so. It really is in the best interest of your current owners, especially if they wish to retain that “quaint, family-centric community” setting you mentioned in your question. All the best!