Str licence renewal needs annual report from platforms, is this a normal ask?

Question

Str licence renewal needs annual report from platforms, is this a normal ask? May have got a bit over in renting for str vs city limits.

Michael Baum · Answer

I have never had to do it but we are in a very small town with a $35 permit fee.

Andrew Steffens · Answer

I dont have to do this in Florida (dont have licensing at all, at most we have inspections) but I could see this being a pretty smart ask on their behalf.

Simon W. · Answer

Pretty normal now. A lot of cities ask for the platform's yearly earnings or booking summary at renewal so they can check nights rented and revenue against what you reported for lodging tax.

Airbnb and Vrbo both let you export your earnings history from your account, so I'd pull it yourself before you send anything and look at it first. Check the number of nights, the total, and whether it lines up with what you filed for occupancy tax during the year. Make sure you're looking at gross bookings and not just payouts, since the platforms take their fees out first and the city usually wants the bigger number.

If you went over a night cap or some other limit in your permit, I'd talk to the city or a local attorney before you send it rather than guessing how they'll treat it. The report is going to show the dates either way, so being upfront is usually the easier conversation.

Str licence renewal needs annual report from platforms, is this a normal ask?

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