Short-term rentals (STR) have taken off nationally and Airbnb leads the pack here in Orange County.

With roughly 50 percent year-over-year local growth, $1 million in local monthly revenues, and nearly 20 percent of local market share (all visitor stays in our community), Airbnb has many people talking. (See below table for some of the latest facts and figures.)

Here are some of the questions and comments we are hearing:

• “Isn’t this just another market innovation (think Uber and food trucks) that allows property owners to earn a side income and connects tourists to lower-cost options?”
• “Is this here to stay and should hotels simply adjust to this new reality?”
• “What are the rules and regulations on hotels vs. STRs? Are they taxed and inspected the same? Is there a difference — and should there be?”
• “Are STRs affecting the character of our local neighborhoods, housing affordability, and/or having any other negative or positive economic impacts?”
• “Is there a difference between owner-occupied homes (when the owner stays in the home with the renter; aka “Homestay”) vs. second homes that are purchased exclusively for commercial purposes and used as permanent vacation rentals (aka “Whole House STR”)?

All these questions led us to ask the most obvious question: Are STRs even allowed in Chapel Hill and Carrboro? As it turns out, based on our research, the answer is largely, no.

• In Carrboro, STRs (both Homestay and Whole House STR) are only allowed in certain zones and require a permit (“Tourist Home” and “Bed & Breakfast”).
• In Chapel Hill, Whole House STR is only allowed in certain commercial zones and requires a permit (“Tourist Home”). Homestay is only allowed with a permit (“Home Occupation”) for an owner-occupied, home-based business that takes up no more than 35 percent of the home nor more than 750 square feet.

There are approximately 360 Airbnbs on any given night in Orange County and a majority are offered in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. (Note – this figure is just Airbnb and not counting the many other STR platforms, such as HomeAway, FlipKey, or VRBO.)

While STRs are generally not permitted in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, very little enforcement of local rules is taking place. Other popular destination communities like ours (think Asheville and Boulder) are setting and enforcing new STR rules, as have other communities across North Carolina.

The lack of clarity and enforcement of the rules in our community is holding up nearly $100 million in potential investment for new hotels and a new conference center.  Maintaining the status quo means delaying or foregoing as much as $1.5 million in future city and county property taxes.

The Chamber is carefully considering a position on STRs. Ultimately, we think local government will have to figure out how to enforce the current laws or change the laws.

I invite your input and insights (please post comment below), and I recommend two helpful resources as you consider your own opinion on the matter: Presentations capturing the most recent state-of-play by the UNC School of Government and the Orange County Visitors Bureau.

Table 1: AirBNB in Orange County by the Numbers 
*Source: Orange County Visitors Bureau 

 

Item	2017	2018
AirBNB Unit Count (Homes/rooms available to rent on AirBNB vs. Hotels in Orange County throughout year)	99,030 Increase of 33,850 units over 2016 or 93 rooms per night 272 AirBNB units available/night vs. 1,586 hotel rooms	132,059 Increase of 33,029 units over 2017 or 90 rooms per night ~362 AirBNB/ night vs. 1,693 hotel rooms
AirBNB Units Occupied (Homes/rooms rented on AirBNB in Orange County)	52,637	76,523 Up 23,886 room nights from 2017
AirBNB Market Share	13.7%	18.6%
AirBNB Revenue	$6,645,048 Increase of $2,634,153 or 65.7% over 2016	$9,771,795 Increase of $3,126,748 or 47.1% over 2017
ADR (Average Daily Rate for hotel vs. AirBNB)	$125.91 Hotel ADR $137.87 Hotel Entire Place ADR $125.67 AirBNB $137.48 AirBNB full house rentals	$127.34 Hotel ADR $137.13 Hotel Entire Place ADR $127.12 AirBNB $136.91 AirBNB full house rentals Hotel ADR is up $1.43 or 1.4% from 2017 but Hotel Entire Place ADR, which is in competition with AirBNB is down $.74 or 0.5%
AirBNB Growth Trajectory	AirBNB did not top $1MM in any month	AirBNB topped $1MM in May, October, and December; AirBNB revenue in December 2018 was up 90.6% over December 2017

*This article also appeared on WCHL 97.9 The Hill Chapelboro.com