MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Murfreesboro leaders have started discussing regulations around short-term rentals in the city.

At the May 8 meeting of the Murfreesboro City Council, Assistant City Attorney Joseph Leonard presented information about short-term rentals in the city and outlined ways that Murfreesboro could regulate short-term rental properties in the area.

With some council members concerned due to the potential negative impacts caused by the rapid growth in the number of short-term rental properties in Murfreesboro, Leonard highlighted that the council's priorities are to maintain public safety and budget responsibly.

In terms of maintaining public safety, Leonard explained that additional regulations on short-term rental properties could help protect Murfreesboro residents from nuisances and allow the city to respond to residents' concerns. With respect to responsible budgeting, Leonard explained that developing regulations could help the city recoup and manage any tax revenue that would be otherwise lost without regulations.

Among the possible regulations mentioned at the City Council meeting were application fees for short-term rental properties. News 2 spoke with Dr. David Barnes, who owns Charlotte's Cottage, a short-term rental property within the city.

"Weekend rental — Friday, Saturday night through Sunday — I collect $394," Barnes said. "They're going to pay $610.84. They have to pay guest service fees, occupancy tax and they do leave me a nominal — Airbnb collects a nominal cleaning fee on my behalf [of] $75. Well, it costs me $120 to get it clean, but that helps."

After paying for expenses and business taxes, Barnes said it's taken him almost half a year to begin making a profit. He said he still charges far less than a traditional mote or hotel would and wants to keep the price down so that people from all over the world can enjoy the farm.

Barnes expressed concerns about any potential fees that could come as a result of new regulations.

"Depending on what it is, it could kill the business — I mean, hurt us bad," Barnes said. "Or we would just have to go up [in price]."

Murfreesboro's City Council analyzed ideas about regulations, but leaders are still early on in the discussion process when it comes to passage.

The City of Murfreesboro has only had their legal department look at ideas on regulations, they are still early in the discussion process of actual regulations being passed.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/weighing-possible-short-term-rental-regulations/