OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Residents and property owners in Overland Park, Kansas, have until June 30 to complete a city survey about short-term rentals as the city explores whether to create new regulations.
Short-term rentals are normally single-family homes in residential areas which are advertised for rent on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
In some cases, property owners never live in the units and rent the homes on short contracts all year round.
In other cases, homeowners rent the house only when they aren’t living there. Some homeowners will rent one room or a mother-in-law suite while they live in the home full-time.
The city of Overland Park currently does not require renters to register with the city or obtain a license.
The city estimates about 132 of the roughly 55,400 single-family homes in the city are available as short-term rentals.
Several hundred people have already completed the survey, which is available on the city’s website.
“We want residents to feel comfortable in their homes, comfortable in their neighborhoods and make sure everybody who feels passionate about this one way or another has an opportunity to weigh in,” said Meg Ralph, communications manager for Overland Park.
Later this summer, staff members will present survey results and different options for regulating short-term rentals.
Ralph doesn’t expect any formal policy changes until much later in the year and after another round of public input.
“We have a lot of people to think about," she said. "It’s not just me, my neighbor. It could be somebody’s livelihood. There’s a lot that goes into it. So we’re really looking at all those angles."
This conversation began partly because a woman was killed while staying at a short-term rental in Overland Park’s Brookhighland neighborhood near West 143rd Street and Switzer Road in March.
Leawood, Kansas, does not allow rentals for fewer than 30 days at a time.
In Kansas, Lenexa, Roeland Park and Merriam require some form of registration or license for short-term rentals.
In Missouri, Kansas City, Liberty and Independence also require a property owner to register or receive a license before offering their home as a short-term rental.
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