Denver Ordinances Would Restrict Short-Term Rentals

"Denver has been wrestling with the issue of short-term rentals — think Airbnb and VRBO — for two years but is finally poised to bring this outlaw economy into the legal light," begins an op-ed by the Denver Post Editorial Board.

The Denver City Council recently held the first public hearing on two ordinances meant to address the ongoing questions surrounding short-term rentals in the city. According to the op-ed, "One [of the ordinances] would amend the zoning code and the other create a licensing process."

The op-ed favors many of the most controversial provisions of the ordinance, including one that would limit short-term rentals to the "primary residences" of owners. "This rules out absentee landlords and the possibility of some neighborhoods transitioning into hospitality centers — or apartment buildings becoming de facto hotels." The editorial board favors that policy because it says Denver "is under no obligation to accommodate short-term rental empires that have grown up in the shadows."