Short-term Rentals

Short-term Rentals (Tourist Homes) are entire private homes or condominiums that are rented and furnished to guests on a nightly or multi-night basis. These rentals are not occupied by an owner or manager.

Community members have elevated concerns about the impact short-term rentals (STR) are having on housing availability as housing prices continue to rise and stock remains low. In July of 2021 City Council funded a one-year contract to work with Granicus Host Compliance (a data analysis firm) to gather local data and study the impact of STRs on the housing market. The data review highlighted that STRs account for about one percent of Missoula's housing stock.

The City-Granicus data review resulted in staff recommendations for further oversight. Recommendations include:

• Create a communication process with short-term rental operators
• Actively monitor the gap between listings and registered operators
• Update the registration forms to learn more about use and operator circumstances
• Propose a registration fee increase from $60 for initial registration and $31 for renewals to $450 annually
• Actively monitor the impact to the housing market

Learn more about the short term ordinance, adopted in 2016 and amended in 2018.