Thursday, July 1, 2010

“Aldermen approve plan regulating 'vacation rentals'” plus 2 more

“Aldermen approve plan regulating 'vacation rentals'” plus 2 more

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Aldermen approve plan regulating 'vacation rentals'

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 11:20 AM PDT

Houses and condominiums leased as "vacation rentals" in Chicago will now be treated like bed-and-breakfast establishments after aldermen today unanimously voted for a plan aimed at getting a handle on such leases in residential areas.
 
New short-term rental units or houses would be prohibited in unoccupied homes or condos in areas with single-family homes or small apartment buildings. Existing vacation rentals in those areas, which often are advertised online, would be allowed to continue operating.

Read more in Clout Street.

Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Condo vacation rentals could be made to operate under hotel standards

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 12:31 PM PDT

Condominium owners who rake in as much as $750 a night by turning their units into hotel suites would have to maintain the same rigid operating standards as hotels, under a licensing crackdown unanimously approved by the City Council today.

After nearly two years of debate and a record 30 legislative re-writes, aldermen agreed to license and sanction an unregulated industry that has become big business in Chicago.

Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) pushed the ordinance that he championed over the goal line after appeasing colleagues concerned that foreclosed residential buildings could be turned into vacation rentals.

Reilly agreed to prohibit new vacation rentals from being established in residential zoning districts that include single family homes, two- and three-flats.

Existing vacation rentals in those districts would be allowed to remain open, only if they can prove that they have the guest vouchers and tax receipts to prove they've been operating for more than a year prior to the effective date of the ordinance of Jan. 1, 2011.

Vacation rentals in all other zoning districts will have to start from scratch by applying for a city license.

The ordinance allows condos to be turned into hotel suites only if owners get prior approval from the condo association, secure at least $1 million in liability insurance and obtain a two-year "vacation rental license" for a $500 fee.

License holders would also be subject to rigorous inspection — safety and operating standards normally reserved for hotels.

Guest registration records would have to be maintained.

Evacuation diagrams would have to be posted inside the entrance door.

The city's 3.5 percent hotel tax would have to be tacked on to the nightly rental fee. No unit could be rented for less than 10 straight hours.

Vacation rental units would also have to be "cleaned and sanitized between guests" — including dishes, utensils, pots and pans — with linens and towels changed and "food, beverages and alcohol thrown out." License holders would be prohibited from serving alcohol. Occupancy would be limited to one guest per 125 feet of floor area.

Ald. George Cardenas (12th) has argued that aldermen are "shooting ourselves in the foot" by capping the number of vacation rentals at six-per-building.

"The economy is fragile. We need people to come to Chicago who may not do so if they have to stay at a hotel," Cardenas said last week.

But Reilly has insisted that he's not "snuffing out" the cottage industry, just "legitimizing" a practice that is now illegal in Chicago.

"It needs to be regulated for the purpose of public safety and health. God forbid, a family has a terribly bad experience, or neighbors who own in the building are accosted in an elevator, or there's a fire or someone's killed," he said.

Last November, DePaul University student Frankie Valencia was shot and killed outside a $1.2 million house at 1752 N. Rockwell that had been rented for a weekend party.

Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Kauai may allow agriculture land vacation rentals

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 12:53 PM PDT

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