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Write City Council!

Use this button to email city council. Feel free to use the template below with your own details if you'd like. Be sure to joins us at the City Council Meeting on October the 23rd. Dear Council, Thank you for your attention to Ordinance 18 regarding the regulation of Short Term Rentals. This ordinance is important to me because (add your story) . The city has taken several steps over the past few years to inform its citizens about short term rentals. A Development Assistance Bulletin (DAB-405) was distributed and available on the city website. It outlined how to move forward in opening a short term rental, guidelines for being a good neighbor, and what property types were allowed. Additionally, several articles were published regarding the city's agreement with AirBnB to collect and remit city and state taxes appropriately. Because of this, I feel it is inappropriate for city council to reverse course on these issues, and enact regulations that will have disastrous...
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Recent posts

Tip of the Day: Rent your primary residence for up to 14 days TAX FREE!

It's true. You can rent your primary residence for up to two weeks without needing to report your rental earnings as income. My advice, rent your house during prime event times. The AFA, CC, and UCCS graduations and Parent's Weekends are very popular. Research the local rates during those weeks and let someone else pay for your next vacation or home improvement project.
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Tip of the day: Self Check In

Do you greet and check in every guest? I don't, and here is why. Through my experiences staying at various vacation rentals, I've found that I often don't know exactly when I will arrive. Flights get delayed. Traffic varies from city to city. There are many factors that can alter your arrival time. When I have had a particularly difficult trip, the last thing I really want to do is worry about my host being readily available to meet the needs of  my ever changing arrival time. I really appreciate and actively search out properties that allow self check in. As a renter, I consider it a must. As a host, I look at this a couple different ways. First, it is convenient. I can send a pre-welcome email with all of the details for checking in and I can check on my guests the day after their arrival to make sure everything is working out. Second, we can always add an in-person check in if that is preferred. We can always arrange to be available. What we can't do, is correc...
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Communication Is Key

What makes a short term rental property or vacation home different from a hotel? Lots of things, but primarily, it is the experience. Make sure that you have a personalized welcome email. It should include the check in time, directions to the property, entry instructions, and contact information. Address your guest by their first name and let them know that you are available to help if needed. Many times a bad situation can be salvaged with good communication and still result in a positive review.
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Pro Tip: To be a great host, travel and take notes.

One of the most valuable resources to help you in successfully running a short term rental is travel experience. Make sure that you are staying in short term rentals when you go on your own vacations and take notes. Replicate the "best amenities" that you find in your own properties. For example, we went on a trip to Seattle and stayed in a condo with our kids. The owner had a Keurig and it was stocked with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. We didn't have to go searching for a coffee shop that first morning (huge for us as parents), and our kids were in heaven with the hot chocolate at night. We have since put a coffee bar in every house and we regularly receive comments about it. Little things make all the difference. BONUS: TALK TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT. Some of your travel expenses may be deductible.
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HOAs

Good advice and information on HOAs. When searching for investment properties, or when determining the viability of short term rental with your current property, the first thing you'll need to do is to determine if there is an HOA and if so what their rules are. http://www.denverpost.com/2008/09/19/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-homeowners-associations/ https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/hoa-related-state-and-federal-laws
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AirBnB helps with the heavy lifting...

As of February, 2017, AirBnB will collect and remit all taxes on your behalf. So, how does this work? First, you will need to set up a tax account to associate with your listing. This will require an EIN number if you have a LLC, or your social security number if you do not. With every reservation made through  www.airbnb.com , they will deduct the applicable taxes from your payout and remit them quarterly to the city an d state. You can see the deduction of these taxes in the transaction history of your hosting dashboard. At the end of the year, they provide you with a tax document that outlines what has been collected and you are ready to file! While other sites like  vrbo.com  have partnered with companies like Avalara to collect and manage STR related taxes, the fact that AirBnB does it automatically and at no additional fee, obviously gives them a leg up. Happy hosting! Airbnb To Start Remitting Sales, Lodging Taxes in Colorado  (Bloomberg)
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