Ohio REALTORS Testify in Support of the Short-Term Rentals
By Stephen Ciacchi, Ohio REALTORS Director, Political Affairs
This week, Mark Remeis and Dawn Arheit, members of the Ohio REALTORS Short-Term Rental Workgroup, testified before the Senate Select Committee on Housing in support of Senate Bill (SB) 299, a bill to address short-term rental regulations. Earlier this year, Senator Andrew Brenner from Delaware introduced this legislation to protect property owners and managers of short-term rentals from burdensome local government regulations.
Recently, local municipalities and townships across the state have imposed numerous regulations and restrictions on short-term rentals. To safeguard the rights of business owners and private property holders, Senator Brenner introduced SB 299, which aims to limit the authority of townships, counties, and municipal corporations to regulate short-term rental properties. Additionally, the legislation requires the Superintendent of the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing to issue electronic licenses to licensed real estate brokers and salespersons.
During his testimony, Mr. Remeis emphasized the importance of allowing the free market to determine the need for short-term rentals. He argued that government should not interfere in decisions regarding private property and should not restrict homeowners from utilizing their property in a manner that best serves their families.
In her testimony to protect private property rights, Mrs. Arheit shared how short-term rentals have positively impacted communities. She stated:
"I have witnessed how short-term rentals benefit communities by attracting visitors who contribute to local economic activity by patronizing local businesses. Additionally, through my own short-term rentals, I have observed the interest in my community from nonresidents."
The legislation is currently pending in the Senate Select Committee on Housing and will likely be reintroduced next session where it will receive further consideration by the legislature.
Additional information about SB 299 can be found here:
