Florida HOA Lawyer Blog
The problem of short-term rentals with the help of Airbnb and other similar websites in violation of community association rules has quickly become one of the most pressing issues facing associations today. Even though Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO claim they prohibit their hosts from renting residences in communities with rules against short-term rentals, enforcement of this policy by the online home sharing providers is virtually nonexistent.
This makes it incumbent upon the associations and their property managers to proactively monitor and investigate for unauthorized rentals and their online listings, which can be extremely difficult. In most cases, the unit owners conducting the rentals know full well that they are violating their association’s rules, so they do what they can to avoid detection.
Their ploys, which typically include walking their new guests into the property and advising security that their visit is authorized, are enabling many rentals to go undetected by management and staff. The result can be very troubling for associations, as unfettered short-term rentals can create a revolving door for guests with none of the prior screening and background checks that are typically performed for new residents and tenants.