The gist
On Feb. 5, Friendswood City Council discussed the possibility of changing its policy for short-term rentals within the city.
The city has 10 short-term rentals. However, city officials think visitor interest in the area could grow in the coming years, as evidenced by the development of the Great Wolf Lodge in Webster, which is slated for completion in November.
Per Texas law, Friendswood can tax short-term rentals through a hotel occupancy tax, which is 6% for the state and 7% for Friendswood, according to a presentation shown to council.
To date, Friendswood has only documented a noise complaint and a parking violation involving short-term renters, according to a presentation shown to council.
Some of the suggested changes to the policy presented to City Council included:
- Requiring short-term rental owners to provide guests with a good-neighbor brochure
- Requiring owners to give a termination notice when the unit is no longer a rental
- Requiring a contact person to be available to answer calls 24/7
- Enacting a penalty for not registering
Council member Robert Griffon said Friendswood does not have enough short-term rentals to justify city staff investing time and resources in rolling out a stricter policy for rental owners.
“Is this something staff wants to get bogged down in?” Griffon said. “I mean, from what I’m looking at, we only have 10 properties that we’ll probably locate. We’re looking at the effort that you guys will have to put in for all these manuals and everything.”
Council member Joe Matranga said he spoke with a Galveston City Council member who praised the benefits of registering short-term rentals since it made it easier for the city to regulate the rentals and protect against undesired outcomes, such as overcrowding in the rentals or not being able to reach the rental owner to flag violations.
Matranga also said he was aware of short-term rental owners in other cities installing bunk bedrooms in the homes to hold up to 30 people in a four-bedroom house, adding that he wanted to prevent a similar scenario from playing out in Friendswood.
“I don’t think any of us want that and the cars that would come with that all next door and across the street,” Matranga said.
Next steps
Slated to break ground in February, Friendswood’s City Center could house the city’s first hotel, according to city documents.
