Lewes Rentals

LEWES, Del.- The City of Lewes is diving into short term rentals and its impact on the community.

A review of the city's data on rental properties over the last five years shows 
rental tax receipts from the last fiscal year are way up compared to the last four years. There was nearly $800,000 generated from rental taxes.
 
The city tax is five percent of the rent for things like vacation rentals, short-term rentals like Airbnbs, and full time rental houses. Despite the revenue being up, the amount of rental licenses renewed is the lowest it has been in the past five years at 450.
 
Lewes' short term rental committee is having continued discussions with the public about developing a comprehensive plan. That plan could help develop ordinances strictly related to short-term rentals and handle complaints.
 
Some of the concerns raised by Lewes residents included not having enough parking for renters, rentals being over occupied, a lack of enforcement over complaints, and more.
 
Members of the committee say that there will need to be more discussions had in order to prioritize items properly in this comprehensive plan.
 
"The lens is a great opportunity for us to start to nail down what is the most important thing for Lewes and Lewes as a whole," Committee member Winnie Kee said. "It's the residents. In my opinion, it is the residents and then anything after that we should start to evaluate and how the growth is coming in."
 
The Short Term Rental Committee does not have the next meeting date scheduled but a focus is getting more of the community engaged to make the plan that is best for Lewes.