Avon, CO approves Short-term Rentals

Avon, Colorado, home to the Vail resorts ski area, has approved an ordinance allowing short-term rentals less than 30 days in most areas of the town center.

Previously, renting out homes for 30 days or fewer was forbidden in town.

Avon, Colorado, resident Judy Neuharth, who rents out her home on weekends to cover her mortgage, said she would lose her home if she could not rent it out on a short-term basis. She applauded the council's decision.

“I'm psyched,” she said. “I can see that I can keep it (my home). Really I bought it as an investment in the first place.”

A recurring debate focused on whether short-term renters cause noise and parking troubles.

One resident said allowing short-term rentals could attract party types such as fraternity brothers, but several other people argued short-term renters tend to be family types who spend money at local shops and restaurants.

Councilwoman Kristi Ferraro argued that short-term renters are no more likely than other residents to cause problems. She said a lot of people are already renting out their homes short term and would continue to do so even if the council didn't approve the change — in the same way people drank during Prohibition.

“I think it's a right people think they should have,” she said.

In a number of neighborhoods, short-term rentals remain forbidden, due to deed restrictions. These include planned unit developments where customized laws do not allow short-term rentals. In those neighborhoods, an amendment to those customized laws would be required to allow short-term rentals.