"Homeowners would have to apply for a license to rent out their primary residence. When asked how the rules and tax collection would be enforced, community development director Bryan Swanson said that the city and consultants who work with travel booking websites would be in charge of making sure that revenue is collected appropriately and that visitors are following the rules."
"Swanson acknowledged that the main benefit of permitting short-term rentals would be to increase city revenue through transient occupancy taxes and possible ancillary spending by visitors, particularly with the Super Bowl and World Cup coming to the Bay Area in 2026. Saratoga is expected to face a structural budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. "Saratoga is a beautiful community, but we rely on residential property taxes,""
The Saratoga Planning Commission voted 6-1 on Dec. 10 to recommend that the city not allow short-term rentals and to recommend hefty fines and a clear enforcement process for illegal rentals. Commissioner Badrinath Sridharan cast the sole dissenting vote. City staff drafted an ordinance modeled on Los Gatos that would allow 5% of approximately 11,500 homes to be used as short-term rentals and would require homeowners to apply for a license to rent their primary residence. Enforcement and tax collection would be managed by the city and consultants working with travel booking websites. Staff noted potential revenue from transient occupancy taxes and visitor spending, especially with the 2026 Super Bowl and World Cup in the Bay Area, while Saratoga faces a structural budget deficit. Public commenters at the meeting were uniformly opposed to allowing short-term rentals.
Read at The Mercury News
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