Short-term rental properties could soon be a thing of the past in Collierville.
The town’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen recently approved an ordinance on first reading prohibiting the rental of such properties, with the exception of bed and breakfasts.
“Short-term rental properties are becoming increasingly popular because they provide alternative lodging options,” wrote Assistant Town Administrator Athanasia Lewis, “which are different from traditional hotel/motel establishments.
“Preserving the integrity of Collierville neighborhoods is one of the town’s highest priorities and allowing uses that are fundamentally unregulated and unsupervised compromises the quality of life for our residents,” Lewis continued.
A short-term rental property is defined as an existing dwelling or unit used for transient occupancy. It can be a mobile home, attached or detached dwelling, townhouse or modular home.
Transient occupancy is considered the rental of a property for less than 30 days and the town defines a dwelling unit as a “room or rooms connected together, constituting a separate independent housekeeping establishment for one family only, for owner occupancy or for rental, lease or other occupancy for a period of 30 or more continuous days, physically separated from any other rooms or dwelling units and containing independent cooking and sleeping facilities.”
Germantown already prohibits short-term rentals. They are regulated in Memphis.
“As the demand for short-term rentals increases,” wrote Lewis, “municipalities are adopting ordinances to regulate or prohibit them in their communities.”
The ordinance states that short-term rentals threaten the “high quality of life in the town’s neighborhoods.”
The town’s Planning Commission has already recommended the ordinance for approval.
