Be Ready for Short-Term and Vacation Rentals in the District in Time for the Inauguration

Photo by Alex Block on Unsplash

No matter who is sworn in as president on January 20th, anyone who decides to take economic advantage of the occasion and rent out their entire house or just a room, should ensure compliance with the District of Columbia regulations. In 2019, District of Columbia joined a growing number of cities around the country and passed legislation to regulate short term rentals, like Air BnB and VRBO. A short-term rental is defined as paid lodging for transient guests with the host present within a portion of the host’s residential property, unless it is a vacation rental. DC Code 30-201.01(5). A vacation rental is defined as a short-term rental that operates within a host’s residential property wherein a transient guest has exclusive use of the host’s property during the transient guest’s stay and the host is not present on the premises. DC Code 30-201.01(6). A vacation rental has a limit of 90 nights cumulatively in any calendar year, unless the host received an exemption.

Both a short-term rental and vacation rental requires a basic business license with a specific endorsement. In addition to a business license, the District requires to host to obtain liability insurance and comply with numerous other requirements, like recordkeeping, cleaning, maximum guest limits.

If you need to become compliant with the District’s regulations in time for the inauguration, contact Johnson Law Group, PLLC for a free consult.