This week’s roundup covers two major short-term rental regulation stories from Wisconsin and South Carolina, Airbnb’s latest effort to crack down on illegal listings in the UK, and PriceLabs’ 2026 Global Host Report. Let’s dive in.
In a major win for vacation rental operators in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a short-term rental regulation enacted by the Village of Sister Bay in 2023 violated the state’s Right to Rent law. The regulation limited short-term rentals to four bedrooms and three guests per bedroom, preventing some owners from renting their entire homes and carrying penalties of up to $5,000 per day. Four short-term rental owners challenged the ordinance in 2024, and after a drawn-out battle, the court ruled that the bedroom cap did violate state law. The ruling could affect how municipalities across Wisconsin approach short-term rental regulations moving forward.
In more short-term rental regulation news, Charleston’s Planning Commission voted Wednesday to defer the first major update to the city’s short-term rental ordinance since 2018 after facing strong opposition from local vacation rental operators. The proposal would have replaced the city’s current occupancy rules with limits based on bedroom size and capped all short-term rentals at 8 guests, regardless of home size. Following the Planning Commission’s decision to defer the proposal, local short-term rental operators are hopeful they can work with city leaders to reach a compromise. The city will now revise the proposal before bringing it back to the Planning Commission for review.
Airbnb announced this week a new partnership with the UK government to help identify and crack down on illegal short-term rentals operating out of subsidized social housing. Through the partnership, participating councils will be able to compare social housing records with Airbnb listings to identify unauthorized rentals and return homes to people in need. Early results from the program have already identified 470 potential cases of tenancy fraud. Airbnb says it is the first short-term rental platform to proactively share listing data with the UK government and is encouraging other booking platforms to join the initiative.
The 2026 Global Host Report, organized by PriceLabs, is now accepting responses from short-term rental hosts managing between one and five listings. This host-first research initiative, which included more than 1,400 responses in 2025, aims to better understand the challenges, opportunities, and realities of hosting in today’s market. The anonymous survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. To help shape the final report and for a chance to be featured, follow the link here.
We are almost 2-weeks away from the 2026 OwnerRez Roadshow! The OwnerRez team will be joined by Rental Guardian, Lynnbrook Group, Turno, Avalara, and StayFi for three FREE full-day events in Blue Ridge, GA, Gulf Shores, AL, and Tampa, FL. Each event will feature talks from STR industry experts, roundtable discussions, an all-speaker Q&A panel, FREE coffee, a FREE lunch, and plenty of opportunities to connect with the OwnerRez team and co-hosts. Whether you’re new to the vacation rental industry or a seasoned operator, we hope you’ll join us this summer! You can sign up for free using the link here.
As local governments continue to reevaluate short-term rental regulations and booking platforms take new steps to improve compliance, the vacation rental industry continues to change. Check back next week for the latest news.