Updated on December 22, 2020
A Special Announcement: Rent Responsibly’s Alexa Nota Named Co-Founder
Have you met Alexa Nota? If not, I recommend you do. I am damn glad that I did.
Today, I am excited to announce that Rent Responsibly is permanently affixing the title of Co-Founder to Alexa’s name. This is a reflection of reality, not a promotion. Rent Responsibly would not exist if it weren’t for her. From the first days of our mission-driven start-up, Alexa has been a dynamo, a driving force and a stalwart advocate powering the Rent Responsibly mission: to create a sustainable future for STRs in every community.
I met Alexa years ago through her impeccable writing. As a journalist for VRM Intel deconstructing the Gordian Knots that are STR regulations, Alexa was able to clearly communicate to readers what was going on in city halls across the country. This invaluable talent led me to reach out to Alexa to ask if she’d like to collaborate on a fun project that tied into the regulatory issues but was often lost in the conversation: telling the story of the real people affected by these laws.
From that day forward, Rent Responsibly’s Humans of STRs series has been spotlighting some of the extraordinary folks that motivate both of us to spring out of bed each morning. (Read about Maureen McLoughlin, Krysten & Mike Sjogren, and Steve Patterson if you haven’t already!) Meanwhile, she has also led the Chapel Hill Short-Term Rental Alliance, ardently defending the responsible STR operators in her community as the city drafts its first STR ordinance – with her insight as co-chair of the town’s STR task force.
From those first stories that Alexa masterfully wrote in 2019, we’ve been working seven days a week in lockstep collaborating with thousands of STR stakeholders building community-first local STR alliances around the country. Now, with 2020 coming to a merciful end, I am thrilled to charge into 2021 with our growing team (looking at you, Dana Lubner and Bri Pope!) and my force-of-nature Co-Founder, Alexa Nota.
And on a final unrelated note and an intentional cliffhanger, stay tuned for more game-changing announcements coming in early 2021. You won’t want to miss our upcoming #advocacythroughcommunity playbook and so much more in the year ahead.
With great love and respect for STR advocates across the country,
Dave Krauss
Founder & CEO, Rent Responsibly
PS. Members, please take a moment to fill out our 2020 member survey below!
Members: Take Our Year-End Survey
As we wrap up the year of all years, we want to hear from you how we can better serve you and showcase the best of our industry in 2021 and beyond. Please take just 3-5 minutes to complete this survey. You have our promise it will be time well spent. Your time and insight will make an impact on the future of STRs in your community and hundreds more around the world. Your responses will remain confidential. Thank you!
News You Can Use
On One Hand
Airbnb’s IPO Warning: Unhappy Neighbors Are Fighting Back
From The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 9.
Excerpt: In the dozen years since it was founded, Airbnb Inc. has moved into hundreds of U.S. cities, transforming many of them into vacation-rental meccas.
In response, residents across the country have ratcheted up grass-roots efforts aimed at keeping authority over short-term rentals in the hands of towns and cities.
Airbnb, which is scheduled to list its shares on Thursday after an initial public offering that could value it above $40 billion, has warned prospective investors that managing its success in the face of angry neighbors and unfavorable local laws is among its biggest challenges in the U.S. and around the world.
Our Take: You don’t have to be a multi-billion dollar company for this to be one of the top challenges for each and every one of us in 2021. It’s time for us to meet our neighbors at our mailboxes – literally, and at a safe distance – to find the space along our property lines to not simply coexist but to flourish together.
On The Flip Side
Pandemic Moves Short-Term Rental Regulation More Quickly Into Public-Private Collaboration
From Skift, Dec. 9
Excerpt: The Covid crisis seems to have softened some of the hostilities between cities and short-term rental players. The idea of the two sides working together was once anathema, but certainly seems possible as long as their thinking keeps evolving.
…
In sharp contrast to last year’s fiery exchange about a rapidly growing short-term industry, at this year’s Skift Short Term Rental Summit representatives on Wednesday from both the hotel industry and rental platforms as well as policymakers and former city officials expressed their optimism in experiencing a more collaborative approach to sharing the short-term rental pie.
They also expressed hope for crafting short-term regulations that work for all involved: the city, the public sector, the tourism industry, and communities.
“The industry came in and we weren’t ready as municipalities and now we’re ready for those conversations and I’m excited about them,” Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities said, thinking back to when short-term rentals were new versus how far discussions have come.
OUR TAKE: This is a snapshot of the many reasons for optimism. Might we finally be turning a corner toward effective collaboration with our elected officials? Yes – and this is the path forward for STRs to find solid footing and protection in local law
Read the full article on Skift >
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