Providence short-term rental ordinance to take effect Nov. 30

A NEW short-term rental ordinance in Providence is slated to take effect at the end of the month. Above Eric Weiner, shown in 2017, an Airbnb host who rented out rooms in his Providence house. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
A NEW short-term rental ordinance in Providence is slated to take effect at the end of the month. Above Eric Weiner, shown in 2017, an Airbnb host who rented out rooms in his Providence house. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – A new short-term rental ordinance is scheduled to go into effect Nov. 30, affecting units in Providence residential areas, the city said Tuesday.

The ordinance says that only owner-occupied dwellings may be offered as short-term rentals, barring non-owner occupied short-term rentals in R1, R1A, R2 or R3 zoning districts.

Short-term rentals are defined as properties that are available for a fee for less than 28 consecutive days. The ordinance was passed in May by the Providence City Council with a six-month delay to allow renters to fulfill booking obligations, the city said.

The rules will affect short-term rental platform users, such as those renting on Airbnb, VRBO HomeAway or others, as well as more traditional short-term renters.

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The ordinance dictates that if an entire unit is being used as a rental, it is required to have a temporary use permit from the city Department of Inspection and Standards. Those permits will be reviewed annually.

Short-term rental units will also be required to post diagrams of all exits to the unit in both English and Spanish, as well as have clearly marked fire extinguishers.

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