Kirkland Passes Strict Rules For Airbnb Style Rentals

KIRKLAND, WA - If you're an Airbnb host or rent your home on VRBO, look out for a set of new rules recently passed by the Kirkland City Council. Short-term rental hosts in Kirkland - defined as anyone renting out space for less than 30 days - will have to get a business license from the state and city, and begin paying state lodging taxes - among other regulations.

Some of the rules - like getting a business license or paying lodging taxes - were already required. Others are new, like living no farther than 15 miles from the short-term rental.

The Council adopted the rules after ticked-off residents earlier this year complained about disruptive short-term rentals in Kirkland neighborhoods.

“We heard from a number of residents who felt their residential neighborhoods were being negatively impacted by 'mini-hotels' next door,” Mayor Amy Walen said in a press release. “This legislation is intended to strike a balance between keeping the character of our single-family neighborhoods and providing ways for homeowners to use this new economic model to afford to live in Kirkland.”

Here are the new rules for running a short-term rental in Kirkland:

• The property owner, or an authorized agent, must occupy the property as a primary residence at least 245 days per year
• A property manager living within 15 miles of the residence must be identified for those days when neither the owner nor an authorized agent are occupying the property
• The property owner must have a business license from the State of Washington
• The property owner (or authorized agent) must complete and submit a business license application for the City of Kirkland, and pay licensing fees (this is not a new regulation, Airbnb hosts should already have a business license)
• As part of the application, a declaration must also be filled out and signed. If the applicant is not the owner, it must still be signed by the owner, as owners retain specified responsibilities in all events
• Lodging taxes for short-term rentals must be paid to the State of Washington, and those payments are ultimately the responsibility of the property owner (this was also already required)

Many cities around the U.S. are creating regulations for short-term rentals, including places like Minneapolis and Vancouver, B.C. The Seattle City Council approved a tax on short-term rentals Monday, but a plan to create regulations for short-term rentals is still up for debate.

If you don't comply with Kirkland's rules? The city will rely on tips from residents. Punishments range from having your business license revoked to being charged with a misdemeanor.

Image courtesy Airbnb