City to open up 'transient rental' permit process

SANDUSKY — Sandusky officials reopened its transient rental program, allowing more locals to rent out their residential properties. "'Transient occupancy' or 'transient rental' refers to the short-term rental of property, most often for vacation rentals, and often conducted through an application or online service such as Airbnb or VROB," city chief planner Arin Blair said. In other words, it "is defined as the renting, letting, subletting, leasing or subleasing of a dwelling for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days or fewer." For a few weeks, a court ruling halted city officials from issuing more permits, which would allow property owners to rent out their properties via transient rental. But, during a recent public meeting, city commissioners approved a measure to reinstate the program and continue with rules governing this program. This would include officials inspecting properties to ensure they're safe for visitors. Right now, there are about 120 active transient rental permits in Sandusky, according to Jonathan Holody, the city's community development director. "When operated responsibly, transient rentals can provide a great way for people to visit Sandusky," Holody said. "Major investments have flowed into the city, resulting in the renovation of many buildings, in response to the demand for transient rentals," Holody added. "And transient rentals have created jobs, boosted the tax base and improved housing values in the city. Though there's a downside, as Holody points out. "Too much transient rental too fast can drive-up costs for long-term renters and new owner-occupied home buyers," Holody said. "So city officials have appropriately been cautious of proposals to expand the transient rentals to new parts of the city in recent years as we continue to monitor the local housing market." There's no maximum on how many transient rental permits Sandusky can distribute, Holody said. It's just based on how many are applied for within eligible areas. Eligible areas include downtown Sandusky, most commercial districts and the Cove District neighborhood. Permits for transient rentals in residentially zoned areas, however, are not allowed at this time in Sandusky. People can visit cityofsandusky.com/departments/code_compliance/transient_rental.php for more information.