Limited Residential Lodging Act; established, penalty. (HB812)
Introduced By
Del. Chris Peace (R-Mechanicsville) with support from co-patron Del. Buddy Fowler (R-Ashland)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Limited Residential Lodging Act; penalty. Establishes the Limited Residential Lodging Act (the Act), which allows property owners to rent out their homes or portions thereof for charge for periods of less than 30 consecutive days or do so through a hosting platform, under certain circumstances. The hosting platform may register with the Department of Taxation, in which case the hosting platform is responsible for the collection and remittance of all applicable taxes on behalf of the property owner. The bill defines "limited residential lodging," "booking transaction," and "hosting platform" and provides for penalties for violations of the Act. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/12/2016 | Committee |
| 01/12/2016 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16103926D |
| 01/12/2016 | Referred to Committee on General Laws |
| 01/18/2016 | Assigned to sub: Subcommittee #1 |
| 01/20/2016 | Assigned to sub: Subcommittee #1 |
| 01/20/2016 | Assigned GL sub: Subcommittee #1 |
| 01/26/2016 | Impact statement from TAX (HB812) |
| 01/26/2016 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 1-N) |
| 01/28/2016 | Reported from General Laws with substitute (18-Y 3-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/28/2016 | Committee substitute printed 16104604D-H1 |
| 02/01/2016 | Read first time |
| 02/02/2016 | Read second time |
| 02/02/2016 | Committee substitute agreed to 16104604D-H1 |
| 02/02/2016 | Amendments by Delegate Peace agreed to |
| 02/02/2016 | Passed by for the day |
| 02/03/2016 | Read second time |
| 02/03/2016 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendments HB812EH1 |
| 02/03/2016 | Printed as engrossed 16104604D-EH1 |
| 02/04/2016 | Read third time and passed House (75-Y 22-N) |
| 02/04/2016 | VOTE: PASSAGE (75-Y 22-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/05/2016 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
| 02/05/2016 | Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology |
| 02/19/2016 | Impact statement from TAX (HB812EH1) |
| 02/29/2016 | Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (9-Y 4-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/29/2016 | Committee substitute printed 16105935D-S1 |
| 02/29/2016 | Rereferred to Finance |
| 03/08/2016 | Left in Finance |
Comments
As a Virginian who has enjoyed stays at Airbnb host homes, who is interested in becoming a host home, who had presented the issue before my county's board of supervisors, who has sent letters to Virginia representatives on this issue, and who has a Facebook page dealing with this issue, I strongly encourage passage of a bill that supports the right of a homeowner to rent a room or two in his/her own home without undue taxation and regulation by the state government.
If HB812 is dead without appeal or revision, it is truly a victory for home owners. The current bill as written did not provide any recourse for the neighbors of these Transient Renter Hosts in subdivisions (single family dwellings).
Americans purchase homes in quiet neighborhoods for the continuity, tranquility, and peace of mind. Having to experience, stranger after stranger, parading in and out of the Transient Rental Property in front of my house is unnerving, unsettling, and disruptive to my sense of home and wellbeing. To date, we even had one Transient Renter approach my teenage daughter for directions to the nearest liquor store and one group was partying so loud that I could hear it in the back of my yard (there is an acre between the Transient Renters and my back yard).
It is irksome to see article after article of Transient Rental Properties Owners lamenting how this is an assault on individual rights and how bill sponsors paint any opposition to Transient Rental Properties as an affront to capitalism and the free market society.
Well how about the rights of the neighbors? What about my right to not have my property values drop or have a difficult time selling my home because I have a Transient Rental Property directly across the street? What about the rights of my girls to walk their dog without wondering who is across the street and will they have to be assaulted by disapproving stares (from the transient renters) or inappropriate comments (from the transient renters)?
The impact to the neighbors, neighbors security/wellbeing, and home resell values must be held in the same regard as the rights of the Transient Rental Host to turn a buck…tax free buck!