Charlottesville was among the first localities in the United States to regulate residential short-term rentals in 2015. More than a decade later, the city wants to update its rules, but it’s still juggling the often competing feedback from homestay operators and neighbors.
Short-term rentals, also referred to as homestays, gained popularity during the mid-2010s surge of services like Airbnb and VRBO. Charlottesville’s Neighborhood Development Services office defines a homestay as “a residential property that is rented for less than 30 days.”
As of September 2025, the number of short-term rentals in the city had increased roughly 20 percent from 2020 to approximately 10,000 annual listings, according to NDS. The accommodations are split across approximately 529 properties…