The bill amends Section 42-63.1-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled "Tourism and Development" to regulate the offering of residential units for tourist or transient use through hosting platforms in Rhode Island. It stipulates that rental properties listed on hosting platforms that collect and remit sales and hotel taxes must be registered with the Department of Business Regulation. The bill mandates that the assigned registration number, which corresponds to subsection (h), must be displayed on any advertising or listing of the property for short-term rental. The registration process is designed to provide necessary information to identify the property, and the term "short-term rental" is defined as transient lodging accommodations not exceeding thirty nights.

The bill also outlines the state registration requirements, which include the owner's principal place of business, contact information, and intended use of the rental space. It removes the previous requirement for the registration number to consist of numeric and alpha characters corresponding to the property's location. Hosting platforms are required to ensure that listed properties comply with the registration requirement by December 31, 2023, and remove non-compliant listings after six months. The Department of Business Regulation is tasked with creating an online database for registered short-term rental units, where each unit will have an assigned registration number that remains internal and is not publicly displayed. Property owners who fail to register and list their property as a short-term rental are subject to a tiered fine structure for non-compliance. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
1007: 42-63.1-14