Commercial lodging businesses are operating in our neighborhoods under the guise of “Home Sharing”
who we are
Founded in August 2018, we are a group of concerned residents of Colorado Springs who are alarmed at the sudden surge in the number of housing units that are being used as full time short-term rentals. We have no problem with actual home sharing (where hosts live in and share the property that they live on with guests). Our concern is that entire housing units, located in residential-zoned areas, have been converted into full time short-term lodging businesses. The Short Term Rental (STR) market is growing exponentially. Between 2013 and 2018, Airbnb listings grew by 700% in Austin, 1,100% in New Orleans and over 4,400% in Colorado Springs.
Any other business operating in a residential area would be considered to be a “home occupation” with regulations that protect the other people who reside in that neighborhood -and the expectation that someone still lives full time in the home. Investors have found a very profitable gray area within the "home sharing" phenomenon and these lodging businesses are allowed to operate freely in our Colorado Springs neighborhoods.
Our goal is to preserve our neighborhoods from the subversion of our zoning laws through lobbying City Council and education of the general public.
What we’re doing
We stand for keeping neighbors in our neighborhoods. Let’s stop the commercialization of our neighborhoods now before it’s too late. Join us in writing City Council to ask for:
a requirement that STR operators actually live on the property they are offering in ALL residential zones, not just R-1,
the density cap to remain on the number of STR permits issued, so that City remains in control of the growth,
a guest registry requirement as all other lodging businesses must do,
a closed-loop reporting system, where the STR platforms (like Airbnb, VRBO, Turnkey, 60+ others) and operators alike are required to report all STR activity to the city to find illegal operators, and
continued 3rd-party verification of the operator and Platform data from Host Compliance or another company such as Harmari.
why we’re Here
The City of Colorado Springs began the process of regulating STRs in November of 2016. Since then, Airbnb listings have continued to grow exponentially.
The current STR ordinance contains no residency requirement for operators in dense residential zones (R-2, R-4, apartments) and allows operators who started their businesses before the R-1 residency requirement kicked in to continue operating without living on site.
We need your help to spread the word. Take action now by writing City Council, educating yourself and others about the threat that STRs pose to the fabric of our community, and attending City Council meetings.
Every housing unit used in this way is a housing unit that can no longer be used by a Colorado Springs resident. This is not the reason for our affordable housing crisis, but it will make the crisis permanent.
Colorado Springs City Council with Mayor Suthers