Commissioners To Consider Short-Term Rental Committee Monday

The Putnam County Commission will discuss possible regulations for short-term rental properties when they meet Monday.

County Attorney Jeff Jones said during last week’s committee meeting that officials have considered regulating locations such as Airbnb rentals for some time.

“First of all, a uniform set of regulations puts everyone on an even playing field and everyone knows what the expectations are,” Jones said. “Lastly, it helps the county as far as identifying those properties that are Airbnbs or bed-and-breakfasts as far as collecting hotel-motel tax, and that’s what this is about.”

The Putnam County Planning Committee recommended last week that the full commission appoint a committee to further study the regulations.

Cookeville resident Chad Gilbert owns short-term rental properties in Putnam County. He said the proposal to regulate short-term rentals wouldn’t be fair to property owners.

“If you have an agreement with someone for 30 days, should you run down to get your license and submit your taxes,” Gilbert asked, “and do all these things that just don’t seem rational when you evaluate the product that we’re talking about versus a hotel… which is a completely different structure versus what we have, which is much more akin to a typical rental property, and I offer it to you as the same.”

Gilbert said a proposed cap on the number of people who can stay at a single short-term rental wouldn’t work.

“You cannot police this. Think logically about it,” Gilbert said. “If you’re going to put a cap on two residents per sleeping dwelling and two children, they’re only here for a brief amount of time. Who’s going to knock on that door at 10 o’clock at night and say ‘hey, you know what, you all have got to beat it.’ This is incredibly difficult to police and expensive. Our sheriff needs to be out chasing pill heads, not doing this.”

Putnam County commissioners will begin their meeting Monday evening at 6 p.m. located in the county courthouse.