At least one-quarter of short-term rentals in Wichita have yet to comply with new licensing regulations by the city, which went into effect last month. It could result in dozens of criminal charges being filed against non-compliant property owners, city officials say. The city passed new regulations last year for short-term rentals like AirBnBs and VRBOs, as the businesses grew more common throughout Wichita. The new code was meant to formalize the short-term rental market in Wichita because the city’s former zoning code technically made it illegal to rent out most residential properties for less than seven days. The new codes required short-term rentals to get licensed by the end of September. To do so, most property owners have to first change their property’s zoning code, a step neighbors can protest. But 126 of the approximately 470 short-term rental listings in Wichita don’t have a license or haven’t started the process to acquire one, city officials recently shared.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
