First-of-Its-Kind Research Explores How the State of Short-Term Rental Operators and Local Government Staff Can Work Better Together for More Effective Regulatory Outcomes
US, Nov. 8, 2021 – Today, Rent Responsibly and the College of Charleston launched the State of the STR Community Survey, the second phase of a first-of-its-kind nationwide study exploring the perspectives of short-term rental operators and local government staff on municipal management and regulation of short-term rentals.
Short-term rental (STR) owners and managers in the U.S. are invited to participate in the anonymous survey. Upon completion of the survey, respondents can opt to enter to win a cash prize of $500 plus $500 to a local sustainability cause of his or her choice.
The survey will quantify the economic and employment impacts STRs have on their communities, distill the challenges of navigating local regulations, and uncover solutions for how the STR industry can work more collaboratively and effectively with local governments.
“The desire to improve systems and solve challenges is in the DNA of the STR community,” said David Krauss, co-founder and CEO of Rent Responsibly. “I’m excited we have launched this survey because with this research, we’ll better understand the challenges and the opportunities that exist between short-term rentals and our communities.”
The survey is the second of two phases. In the first, researchers conducted in-depth interviews and panel discussions with municipal staff from varied markets across the U.S. to uncover their perspectives, needs, and challenges. Insights from these discussions and the survey results will be published in the upcoming 2022 State of the STR Community Report in mid-December.
“In addition to the report, Rent Responsibly will use the findings to produce educational initiatives and build tools to improve the ecosystem for all,” Krauss said.
Rent Responsibly is partnered with the Riley Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston on this research.
“This study is really at the forefront of answering the question that more and more communities have, which is ‘How do we effectively manage short-term rentals to increase livability for all residents?’” said Dr. Brumby McLeod, Riley Center Research Fellow, Associate Professor, and Chair of the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management in the School of Business at the College of Charleston. “Cities and towns have to come to their own answers in an engaged conversation between municipal staff, STR operators, and community members, and this research will help inform and shape that conversation.”
The State of the STR Community research is being conducted with the financial support of online travel agency Expedia Group, operations platform Futurestay, and other partners.
“The vacation rental industry is at a critical inflection point,” said Philip Minardi, Director of Public Affairs for Expedia Group. “With category awareness and demand at an all-time high, and as communities work to restart their local economies, we have an opportunity to find consensus on commonsense policy solutions. This research will give us new insights to find that common ground and drive our industry forward.”
“The short-term rental industry creates more new entrepreneurs per day than any other vertical. To truly democratize access, our industry must include all stakeholders across the community spectrum,” said Philip Kennard, CEO and co-founder of Futurestay. “Finding better ways to work together with our local governments to create sustainable growth is key not just for these thousands of new entrepreneurs but also for our broader communities, and that’s why Futurestay is proud and excited to support this critical research.”
Respondents can take the survey here between Nov. 8 and 12, 2021.
Support for the State of the STR Community research has also been provided by: OwnerRez, Autohost, Ascent Payment Solutions, HostGPO, C2G Advisors, Evolve, and Breezeway.
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About Rent Responsibly
Founded in 2019, Rent Responsibly is the community building and education platform for local short-term rental alliances. Our tools and alliance management services equip local leaders to build successful, self-sustaining organizations of short-term rental hosts, managers, and all other stakeholders in their communities. We make it easy for leaders and members to connect, collaborate, solve common challenges, advocate for themselves, steward their communities, and rent responsibly. Learn more at RentResponsibly.org.
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