Charlottesville launches campaign for short-term rentals to register with the city

Operators of short-term rentals in the City of Charlottesville have until June 1 to file with the Department of Neighborhood Development Services or face a $100 late fee.

“A homestay is a rental property that is offered for a period of less than 30 days,” reads a frequently asked question list on the city’s website. “The entire home, part of the home or an accessory apartment may be used for short-term lodging.”

To be eligible, property owners must live in their residence at least 185 days a year.

Postcards have been mailed to those providing the service. The city is also seeking additional information through a community survey which can be accessed here.

Information about the survey and the outreach program are included in City Manager Sam Sanders’ report for today’s City Council meeting.

Another piece of information is that the city has hired a long-term employee of Albemarle County’s Department of Community Development.

“Victoria ‘Tori’ Kanellopoulous will join the department as our new Senior Long-Range Planner starting Tuesday, May 27th,” reads the report from Neighborhood Development Services Director Kellie Brown.

Kanellopoulos has been working on Albemarle County’s update of the Comprehensive Plan since it got underway in November 2021.

Brown also reports that a planning intern will take the lead this summer on developing fact sheets for the city’s neighborhoods with an emphasis on 10th and Page and Rose Hill.

Other items from the report:

• Sanders met with the Fifeville Neighborhood Association on May 8 and told the group that no decision has yet been made about whether a low-barrier shelter for the unhoused will occupy the building the Salvation Army currently uses a thrift store.
• The city’s outdoor pools will open this Saturday, one week after the city’s four splash pads opened for the season.
• Construction began on May 5 for a shared use path from Westwood Drive to McIntire Park. Public Works Director Steven Hicks said work is expected to be completed in September.

Before you go: This story was originally posted in the May 19, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. If you’d like to help this sort of work to continue to be produced, check out the top of the website.