Short-term rental bill targeting Nashville dead for the year

The state legislation that would have prevented Nashville from banning homesharing (Airbnb, STRP) has been delayed until next year.  Originally the bill which would have applied state-wide, passed the House but was deferred to next year in the Senate.  Then, the bill was revived and amended to apply to just the four largest cities.  Still, not getting enough support to pass, the bill was amended in the House to apply to only to Nashville.  According to The Tennessean, that effort ran into difficulty in the Senate.  Some questioned the appropriateness or even the constitutionality of making the bill apply to only Nashville.

While the bill did not pass the State legislature has sent a warning to Nashville. Several Senators, including Nashville's Sen. Steven Dickerson, R-Nashville warned cities to be "even-handed" in their policies going forward.

The sponsor of the bill is quoted as saying, "I think the General Assembly at least gave some indication that any overreaching (ban) by the Metro Council could result in repercussions next year if it steps over the boundary that the state's unwilling to go beyond."


The Metro Council is scheduled to vote a bill banning most Short Term Rental Property on May 16th. In addition to a strong likelihood that any ban passed by the Council will be reversed by the State Legislature in 2015, there is also a likelihood than any ban will be challenged in the courts. Homesharing is helping meet the need for visitor lodging in Nashville and is also drawing tourist to the city who would not otherwise visit Nashville.  The hotel industry is pushing the effort to ban homesharing in Nashville.

To read The Tennessean article on today's development, follow this link. For a link to numerous blog post on the topic of Short Term Rental Property, follow this link.

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