Inaugural Short-Term Rental Summit Brings Sides Together

16/08/2019 06:34

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart City Policy Group (SCPG) is hosting a first-of-its-kind short-term rental regulations conference - Smart City Policy Summit – this Friday in Austin, Texas. The summit will feature attendees from all sides of the short-term rental (STR) industry: city regulators, the travel industry and vacation rental managers.

"Communities are desperate for help on this issue," Matt Curtis, CEO of SCPG said. "Compliance and enforcement of short-term rental regulations continue to elude governments, neighbors are fed up and travel leaders and operators are faced with confusing rules. We are bringing all sides together to fully understand this constantly changing industry."

In the past ten years, more than one thousand cities in the United States have created regulations for short-term rentals - often called vacation rentals and identified by the well-known industry brand, AirBnB. Concerns vary across cities, but the core complaints focus on tax remittance, housing and zoning impacts and noise and parties.

"Local government officials work every day to create good policy for our communities," said Mayor Jane Hughson of San Marcos, Texas. "We heard a clear concern that short-term rentals were an issue in some neighborhoods due to excessive noise. We also heard from those who needed the income. We built our rules to address both concerns and more."

Led by Curtis, the summit will feature speakers who have worked on STR rulemaking from city government leaders, travel industry professionals and vacation rental managers. Sessions will cover tax compliance, nuisance controls, quality of life and safety solutions and more.

Speakers include Jon Hockenyos, President TXP Economic Development Consulting; Carl Smart, Assistant County Manager Alachua County, Florida; Allen Atamer, President Harmari Technology Tools; and Steven Shur, President Travel Technology Association.

"Most short-term rental operators want to follow the rules and policy makers want to create rules that work," said Darren Pettyjohn, co-founder of Proper Insurance, a commercial insurance provider for short-term rentals. "This effort brings all sides together to find solutions."

SCPG has ample experience in the short-term rental space. Founded by Matt Curtis, formerly the right-hand to several Austin mayors and Head of Global Affairs and Public Policy for HomeAway and Expedia, SCPG's savvy and seasoned team delivers an unrivaled depth and breadth of expertise.

For more on the summit, please visit www.SmartCityPolicySummit.com.

About Smart City Policy Group
SCPG was founded in 2017 by Matt Curtis to bridge the divide between the innovation economy and local government. From short-term rentals to ride-hailing apps, people are working and traveling in fundamentally new ways, and local and state governments are struggling to adapt regulations. SCPG works closely with both corporate and community leaders to collaborate on systems that deliver the broadest benefit to all stakeholders. For more information, please visit www.smartcitypolicygroup.com.

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