Short-term rentals have been on the city’s radar since May 2018. Once again, regulations on rental dwellings, like those offered by Airbnb, will be a main topic at Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting. The city is also looking into conducting an audit of the Columbia Finance Department.
Since the last council meeting, the city released an information sheet about short-term rentals in Columbia. From March 2017 to September 2019, the number of Airbnb and HomeAway rental listings doubled from 175 to 350, according to the sheet attached to the council agenda.
The total revenue from short-term rentals for the first 11 months of 2019 totaled $4,998,134, according to the information sheet. This revenue equates to:
- Almost $100,000 in city taxes not collected.
- Over $87,000 in county taxes not collected.
- Over $211,000 in state taxes not collected.
- Nearly $250,000 in Columbia lodging taxes not collected.
To read more, visit our partners at the Columbia Missourian.