Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newport council presses state on housing, short‑term rentals and platform transparency
Summary
Councilors and legislators discussed short‑term rentals, conversions of multi‑family homes, possible impact fees, and a legislative push to require rental platforms to report taxes by property rather than only in aggregate.
City councilors and state lawmakers at the workshop discussed ways to address Newport’s housing shortage and the role of short‑term rentals in removing long‑term housing supply.
Representative Lauren Carson flagged short‑term rentals as a top agenda item and said she prepared a memo for the council on the issue. Multiple speakers described homes converted from multi‑family units into single‑family residences and urged policy responses that could recapture housing stock or generate revenue for housing programs. One councilor suggested an impact fee when owners convert multi‑family buildings to single‑family use, with revenues dedicated to a local housing fund.
A recurring complaint was lack of transparency from rental platforms. One legislator said platforms currently remit hotel and occupancy taxes in the aggregate by municipality rather than by property, preventing local officials from identifying noncompliant owners. The room tax reporting practice prompted lawmakers to say they will explore statutory changes and possible companion reporting requirements; a representative offered to work with the city on a resolution supporting remittance by property.
No bills were adopted during the workshop; legislators encouraged the city to prepare sample language and to help identify specific policy changes (for example, tax parity for whole‑house short‑term rentals) they can file in Providence.
