Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Policies on short-term rentals?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Aug 27, 2014, at 11:40 PM, heimann [at] TheWorld.com wrote:

>      Have communities on this list had to deal with households running
> "bed and breakfast" businesses in their units?  If so, what policies
> do you have to handle or forbid them?

We haven't but we also have an understanding that our security is reliant on 
our knowing anyone who is on the site. If we get used to strangers being around 
all the time, people will stop being on alert when they see one. We approach 
strangers and ask who they are looking for or if we can help them. This many 
strangers and people would certainly object on that basis.

Use your children as an argument too. The city was not cleaning up broken glass 
from a several panes on a street corner by us. I pointed out to them that we 
had 21 children living here -- it was not a commercial district. They had to do 
better than a general brush up of the big pieces. It was gone the next day.

We also require fore-knowlege of any outside group using the CH for the same 
reason. Child safety.

Most condos do have restrictions on this, leases forbid it, etc. It is not an 
accepted practice. There are specific definitions of acceptable home businesses 
and this isn't one of them.

And like Ann says, check the city laws.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org