Are you renting your home in Orlando on Airbnb? You could be fined if you don’t save it – WFTV

ORLANDO, Florida – Two months ago, a new order went into effect in the city of Orlando requiring people to register if they want to rent out part of their home on websites, like Airbnb. So far, the city says less than 1% of estimated homes are registered.

The ordinance went into effect July 1, but the city is giving homeowners a three-month grace period to comply.

The check-in is part of a new order that only allows hosted shares, meaning an owner or full-time renter must be present when making a reservation. Janet Lemmen and her husband have such a setup.

After trying out an Airbnb, the Lemmens decided to go into roommates.

“We thought, ‘Wow, that’s a cool concept, and we could totally do that, and we’d make it a better experience,'” she said.

The Lemmens live near Orlando’s Lake Eola and have shared their home for about two years. They are now listed as an Airbnb “Superhost”, accommodating vacationers, honeymooners and business people. After two years, they now have tons of stories.

“We have a lady with us here who is trying to improve her English,” Lemmen said.

Although verified with Airbnb, Lemmen has not registered with the city of Orlando.

“Airbnb emailed, but (information) was very limited,” she said.

When asked if she had received any information from the city, she replied: “Nothing, no.”

On Friday, Orlando announced that it had approved 19 registrations.

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“So far it’s been a bit slow,” said Mike Rhodes, Orlando’s assistant director of economic development. “We had just under 30 applications.”

That’s less than 2% of the estimated 2,000 shared homes within the city limits.

Rhodes said later this week the city will send listing notices to about 400 landlords posting on Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and other websites.

Residents can register online. To do this, they must check that their accommodation is in an area allowing home sharing. They must also provide documentation proving that they are the owner of the home or provide a letter from the owner indicating that they are authorized to do short-term rentals. The city will also verify that only half of the house is rented.

Rhodes said if owners had all the necessary paperwork, “you could probably have your license in less than 15 minutes.”

Once approved, owners must pay $275 in the first year. Homeowners who remain during house shares will pay $100 each year thereafter. The annual fee is $125 if a tenant is in charge of reservations and lodging.

“I guess it’s not the worst thing in the world,” Lemmen said, but she still has questions about how the money will be used.

The city said that after being notified, landlords could face fines if they refused to register but still booked short-term rentals.

The exact cost is not specified, but there would be hearings and several opportunities to comply with the new order before a homeowner is fined.

Cox Media Group