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Staff recommends software to detect STR listings; council weighs costs and capabilities
Summary
City staff told council that several peer cities use address-detection and permitting modules to find listings on Airbnb/VRBO; council discussed software accuracy, privacy workarounds (photo/address matching), and estimated annual costs ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.
Staff told council that software vendors can search listing sites and match uploaded listing photos or addresses to city property records to identify likely short-term rentals. "There are other modules offered for these kinds of softwares, such as permitting softwares, tax collection," Nick Angeli said, and staff cited examples of peer cities that use automated address identification to improve compliance.
Council members pushed back on cost and accuracy. Software price estimates discussed in the session ranged widely: some members reported seeing modest tools under $5,000, while others said commonly encountered municipal products required $40,000–$80,000 in set-up or annual costs. Members also noted operators who deliberately obscure addresses or use photos that make automated matching harder; staff was asked to return with both cost estimates and an assessment of vendor ability to retrieve historic booking data back to 2019 if available.
