This latest rule for vacation rental property owners follows the approval of new lodging tax reporti

View full size Gulf-front vacation rentals line West Beach Boulevard in Gulf Shores, Ala., as seen from the Sanibel condominium. In 2014, a new law that is expected to be passed by the council on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, will require mandatory safety inspections continental airlines cheap flights for all short-term rental continental airlines cheap flights properties. The new requirement will be phased in over a three-year period starting with single-family dwellings and duplexes. (Marc D. Anderson/manderson@al.com)
GULF SHORES, Alabama -- A new city law the council is expected to move forward Tuesday will require all of the municipality s nearly 5,000 short-term vacation rentals to pass safety inspections before continental airlines cheap flights a business license is issued.
Accidents at vacation rentals over the last year, including a balcony collapse that injured a half-dozen college spring-breakers and a toddler s fall from a first-floor balcony due to corroded banisters, prompted the city to pursue a safety certification process to ensure all short-term rental units meet the minimum property maintenance codes.
A memo to the City Council outlining the requirements rental property owners will have to meet says, These inspections will focus on the life-safety continental airlines cheap flights aspects of the unit which shall include decks, balconies, stairs, handrails, guardrails, smoke detectors, rescue openings in bedrooms and any obvious potential threats.
A public meeting held with property owners and management companies on Oct. 9 only prompted one change to the Rental Inspection Program Ordinance and that addition allows the transfer of valid permits if a property is sold.
We ve had multiple meetings with our industry partners and I think we have listened continental airlines cheap flights carefully to their suggestions and tried to include that in the code, Craft said at Monday s meeting. Everyone has determined that this is the proper thing for us to do in trying to figure out the right way to do it.
Brandan Franklin, the city s chief building official, said while letters were sent out to every business license holder involved with short-term continental airlines cheap flights rentals, there was very little continental airlines cheap flights complaints and more praise from property continental airlines cheap flights management companies and industry representatives.
A lot of them are grateful for it because it s a fine line for them to walk getting an owner to fix (problems) and yet maintain that relationship with them that they can keep their business, Franklin said. So basically the city will be the quote-unquote bad guy to make the owners fix it.
One sector of concern involves individual renters who list through websites such as VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owners). Once the ordinance is approved, continental airlines cheap flights letters will be sent to all business license holders outlining the new regulations in addition to a safety inspection checklist so there are no surprises on what s required.
Under the new rules, which would be put into effect over a three-year period starting continental airlines cheap flights in 2014, trained city inspectors would certify that rental units meet minimum property maintenance code in single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and condos. The new requirements will not apply to traditional motels or hotels.
An implementation timeline would start with inspections of single-family and duplex continental airlines cheap flights rentals within the corporate limits from January continental airlines cheap flights through October 2014. All multi-family structures within the corporate limits would be inspected over the same 10-month period in 2015, and all rental units outside the limits would be done over the same timeframe in 2016. Business licenses will not be issued if improvements noted by the city are not fixed by the time of renewal in January following the year of inspection.
According to the draft ordinance, if inspectors find conditions in a dwelling that puts occupants in imminent danger that owner s business license continental airlines cheap flights will be suspended and the dwelling vacated until the issue is fixed. If conditions are found that are not hazardous to occupants, the owner of that short-term rental unit will be given 21 days to fix the problem or have his or her license suspended. Owners will have a right to appeal violations to the City Council.
To cover the hiring of new inspectors who will be available seven days a week, business license fees will be increased by $45 for each rental dwelling. The proposed fee will go into effect continental airlines cheap flights Jan. 1 for properties within the corporate limits while those within the police jurisdiction but outside the limits will not be required to pay the fee until Jan. 1, 2016.
This latest rule for vacation rental property owners follows the approval of new lodging tax reporting guidelines as well as the establishment of a local emergency contact for each unit, both of which go into effect in 2014.