Short-Term Rentals for Arvada?

Short-term rentals are rentals of individual rooms or an entire home for less than a 30 day period. Currently, short-term rentals are not allowed in Arvada; however, through websites such as AirBnB and VRBO, there have been an increasing number of short-term rentals being listed in Arvada neighborhoods.

With the increasing popularity of short-term rentals, many cities in the region have adopted regulations to address the impacts these rentals can have on neighborhoods. Within the last few years, Denver, Golden, Aurora, Boulder, and Fort Collins, as well as many mountain communities, have adopted approaches to regulate short-term rentals.

The City of Arvada has received inquiries from homeowners who are interested in using their homes as short-term rentals. Currently, there are many short-term rentals in Arvada but there are no regulations that can address their impacts. While short-term rentals offer several positive opportunities, they also present certain challenges that can impact residents and neighborhoods.

Pros of Short-Term Rentals

• Invites more visitors to Arvada that can support local businesses
• Helps homeowners with a new income stream
• A “hosted” short-term rental (where the property-owner is present) provides oversight of visitors

Cons of Short-Term Rentals:

• Can create concerns about parking, noise, and disruption to neighborhoods, particularly when entire houses are rented
• Whole house rentals remove housing from the long-term rental market, which can result in increasing rents
• Needs to be fairly regulated and enforcement can be an issue

We’d like to hear from Arvada residents to learn what they think about short-term rentals and whether they should be allowed in the city. If the City were to allow short-term rentals, a variety of tools could used, such as licensing and creating a registry. We’d also like to hear your thoughts on what regulations would be important for managing short-term rentals. Your comments will be shared with Arvada City Council as they consider this topic on Monday, November 12, 2018.