What's Happening in Portland, OR…

At the request of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler an ordinance, has been drafted that would mandate short-term rental companies that do business online, such as Airbnb, remove unpermitted rentals.

For over a year, Portland’s revenue division has attempted to reach a voluntary agreement with Airbnb concerning unpermitted rentals. The ordinance would prevent the collection of booking fees by Airbnb on unpermitted Portland rentals.

Mayor Wheeler’s staff has reiterated that Portland’s ordinance may not be in its final form and might change before the Mayor introduces it to council at the end of May. Portland’s draft is modeled after Santa Monica’s, which has been upheld recently by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

For hosts to be “permitted” in Portland requires the payment of a permit fee, having received a safety inspection, and being in compliance with HOA or rental agreements. Additional regulations in Portland place a limit on how many months per year an individual may rent their apartments or home.

Newly transplanted residents are generally provided with useful information from one source or another. Printing services can be used to deliver information packets containing items such as the regulations regarding renting out one’s home.

In some cities, as is the case in Portland, the regulations are in place to keep living space available for residents and not rent it all out to tourists.