A little more than a month after the Peru City Council received a special use permit request for a short-term rental property, aldermen are considering the guidelines for them.
Corporate Counsel Scott Schweickert provided the council Monday with a draft of a proposed ordinance pertaining to short-term rental properties and bed and breakfast establishments. No rules have been set as of yet, but conversations continued at Monday’s meeting.
The proposed ordinance identifies short-term rentals as “a dwelling unit that is offered for rent to guests for a period of less than 30 consecutive days at a time.” The most common short-term rentals include Airbnb and Vrbo.
The proposed ordinance outlines numerous requirements for an operator to obtain a license to run a short-term rental or B&B, including a $250 application fee, a $50 deposit for a lawn sign for notice of a public hearing and at least $500,000 of liability insurance through a provider or a hosting platform.
Alderman Mike Sapienza said the council should look at where the city will allow rentals, rather than where it will forbid them.
Alderman Jim Lukosus questioned whether a regulation identifying an area where short-term rentals and bed and breakfasts would be considered discriminatory. Schweickert said it could be susceptible to a challenge.
May 22, Schweickert provided the council with a rough draft of a proposed ordinance right before the meeting for the aldermen to review and he said other communities were struggling with regulating short-term rentals and told the council the ordinance will require time and effort.
