Whitefish is cracking down on illegal short-term rentals. City council members last week created a position dedicated to tracking down unregistered vacation rentals.
The city requires each rental to pay a registration fee and also restricts where they are allowed within the city.
City staff estimate there are about 330 illegal units. That’s nearly half of all vacation rentals within city limits.
Cities like Bozeman have also increased enforcement efforts to maintain housing stock for locals. The number of units on sites like AirBnB and VRBO have skyrocketed in many of Montana’s resort communities.
Whitefish’s enforcement position will be funded in part by registration fees for legal short-term rentals. City staff say it will take some time to post the job and hire.
