KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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By November 2025, short-term rentals will not exist in Prairie Village neighborhoods — there must be a 30-day minimum stay.
Owners on sites like Airbnb and VRBO must now to figure out what to do with their properties.
City discussions about the rentals have shifted several times from potential regulations, including a guest tax in preparation of the FIFA World Cup, to now the current ban.
Johnny Youssef owns an Airbnb in the city. He's also a host for his parent's home in Prairie Village, which hasn't been on Airbnb for a full year.
A few months ago, Youssef said he talked to the city before his parents bought and listed it.
"Now I’m telling them, 'Hey guys, sorry — you know how I told you to spend tens of thousands of dollars fixing the pool? To fix the house and exterior? We don’t know if this property is going to continue bring finances or cover its own costs.'"
They wanted it to be a place for them to come in town and visit Youssef and his family throughout the year.
Youssef said if they knew this would happen, they wouldn't have made the investment.
"I was told to fill out a rental application, followed the process and yesterday, we were told the whole thing was shutting down," he said.
The city of Leawood has the same model. No short-term rentals are allowed, only 30-day minimum stays.
Youssef thinks the city council could have explored limiting licenses or other restrictions before banning them.
"Put a pause and say, 'Let's do some research,'" Youssef said. "Let's take emotions out."
A rental must have a minimum 30-day stay in the city. There's a growing list of other cities making decisions on whether to allow or restrict short-term rentals.
"If they had the regulation Mission, had they wouldn't have that problem," said Don Carrel, who owns a short term rental in Mission. "If I owned a place in Prairie Village, I would not think that’s the city I would want to rent places on short-term rentals."
Carrel rents out the basement of his home.
He said when he started using Airbnb eight years ago, the city of Mission required a short-term rental owner to live in the property while a guest was there.
Carrel said he doesn't receive any complaints from neighbors.
Mission recently passed a new ordinance requiring a license that comes with a $500 fee; rentals must have a minimum two-night stay, and a management agency or owner must live within 40 miles of the property. It takes effect in January 2025.
With a growing list of cities regulating the rentals, more owners will have to make sure they know what rules exist or could be coming in the near future.
"I will only do it if the city has gone through the process and there are laws that are clear, because what I was told before buying the property was not what happened after," Youssef said.
Prairie Village's decision did not include grandfathering in people who already own short-term rentals.
Some property owners are discussing possible legal action before the new ordinance takes effect.
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