Scottsdale officials seek compliance in first week of New Year
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Earlier this month, Scottsdale Councilwoman Solange Whitehead told the Arizona Digital Free Press she was starkly concerned about the rate at which short-term rental operators where registering at City Hall.
“This year, the City Council updated the city’s short-term rental ordinance which now requires operators to register with the city and pay a nominal $250 annual per property fee,” she said in the Dec. 21 story. “In passing the ordinance, we gave STR operators an opportunity to step up, take initiative, and comply. Yet, with roughly three weeks until the deadline, just over 10% of the operators have registered.”
In recent days Scottsdale officials have sounded the alarm alerting STR operators to two things:
*The deadline to register your short-term rental is Sunday, Jan. 8; and
*There are no properties within city limits that are ‘grandfathered’ in.
Want to get registered? GO HERE.
Councilwoman Whitehead contends “compliance on regulations” is a benefit to both operator and neighbor.
“The city will be able to quickly alert operators of activities that may be disruptive, dangerous, or illegal and expand compliance on other city rules pertaining to STRs,” she said.
“The registrations can help ensure operators are paying proper taxes, thereby reducing the cost burden on the general public. The data will help guide the city on best practices that can reduce friction between operators and the public. Simply put, the registration requirement will tilt the playing field in favor of the highest quality STR operators. Improving STR registration compliance is on my priority list for 2023.”
Scottsdale officials seek compliance in first week of New Year
Scottsdale officials offer an important caveat to the regulations: owners who rent for 30 days or longer do not need to obtain a license through this process. However, as of Dec. 27, only 838 of an estimated 5,000 properties in Scottsdale have applied for or received their Scottsdale license.
Beginning Jan. 9, city officials say, STR property owners operating in Scottsdale without a license will be violating the law. The owner/operator will be subject to enforcement action that includes being cited with a minimum fine of $1,000 per violation.
Want to get registered? GO HERE.
