PLANO, Texas — The City of Plano's new short-term rental ordinance goes into effect on August 1 and that means all applications to register for short-term rentals (STR) must be in before Thursday.
"It is the 11th hour, we'll see if they accept our application," said Kristine Parker who dropped off an application for their one property.
In April, the Plano city council voted to approve a ban on most new short-term rentals in the city. One aspect of the ordinance required the registration of all short-term rental properties; properties that are advertised for use by popular sites like VRBO and Airbnb.
The city has been in back-and-forth discussion over the matter for the last two years.
"This will make it easier for us to deal with those problem properties...and that's the bottom line," said Curtis Howard, Director of the Neighborhood Services Department.
As of early afternoon Friday Neighborhood Services had collected over 157 applications for registration and Howard anticipates dozens more before close of business. This ordinance is all sparked by growing concerns at STR properties over loud parties, illegal activity, and most notably, shootings, that led to stray shots into one Plano living room
"Accountability is important. If you're going to choose to be in the business you need to be honorable in the way you conduct your life and the way your home is run," said Parker and her husband Ronald Knerr who have no problem with the new rules governing short-term rentals.
"It's those bad actors that give all short-term rentals a bad name. We have many owners and operators who do a great job," said Howard.
Howard said applicants won't be approved or denied based on their past but every incident after August 1 will be documented.
The process of registration and review is being taken up by two city entities: Neighborhood Services and the Planning and Zoning Committee. The application, according to registrants, is quite thorough and even requires property layouts. One registrant described it as 'pretty extensive.'
"If people have had problems or had problem properties, that will impact their ability to maintain their registration or renew registration," he said.
Ron and Kristine have one rental property and with their application, they're hoping to be grand-fathered in. The ordinance does not allow for any new STRs in single-family neighborhoods. However, new rentals will be allowed in special zoning districts where hotels, non-residential, multi-family and heritage districts, exist. STRs will also be allowed in some cases where live-in management is present.
Ronald tells WFAA that their property is under very strict rules. They are encouraged by the city having this registration process. "[We have] no parties, no events, no illegal activities...plus a lot of other rules," he said.
The city estimates there are around 345 STR properties in the city. However, some people in the anti-STR camp believe there are upwards of 700 properties.
The City of Plano told WFFA that 212 applications for STR registration were received before the deadline. None of them have been formally denied at this early stage, the city said.
These properties must be registered every year at the cost of $300 per property. The city does offer a $100 rebate to owners and operators who sit in for a class. Other rebate opportunities are also available through the city.
After August 1 the Neighborhood Services Division will be handing out violations to those STR owners and operators who have yet to apply for registration. Howard tells WFAA that non-compliance with the city's new short-term rental ordinance is a Class C Misdemeanor.