Homestay is the rental of residential property (your home), or a portion of it, to guests for short term stay. Often homeowners use web-based platforms such as AirBnB, Craigslist or HomeAway for advertising and booking of this type of short term or transient rental. As of January 1, 2017, this type of rental activity is allowed in the Town of Blacksburg subject to standards adopted by Town Council. To qualify, you must (i) be the property owner and (ii) live in the home you plan to rent. There are other requirements related to the number of times you may rent your home in a year, host and guest information, and guest safety standards. Lodging taxes must be paid for this type of rental.

How to I apply?

Homes must be owner-occupied to participate in any short term rental.  The registration will be valid January 1st (or from whatever date the registration first occurs) through December 31st of the calendar year and should be renewed annually.  To avoid any interruptions in your registration, please contact the Planning and Building Department and renew by December 1st of the calendar year.  Additional information about the requirements of the program can be found here.  If you have any questions about the homestay use, please contact the Planning Division at 540-443-1300. To apply for a license to operate a homestay in the Town, use our online application portal OpenGov. 

Homestay License Application

If this is your first time using OpenGov for an application, you can use these Help Guides to learn how to:

• Create an account
• Apply for various permits and pay fees
• View your application’s status
• Receive approval documents/permits/licenses

You can use the same OpenGov account for all your community development applications with Town including building permits, zoning permits, and development applications. 

Tax Information

In addition to the online application, you will also need to complete the appropriate associated financial forms for the payment of lodging taxes.  Additional information sheets and these forms are found below:

• Homestay monthly tax form (PDF)
• Frequently asked questions from Airbnb (PDF)
• Meals and lodging homestay registration form (PDF)
• Transient lodging tax information sheet (PDF)

If you have questions about the lodging tax or business licenses, please contact the Finance Department at 540-443-1050. 

Signed Ordinance 1807 (PDF)

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