Understanding & Managing Short-Term Rentals
Maximize benefits, minimize impacts.
This course was designed to help gateway community leaders learn about the short-term rental (STR) industry, its trends, and how to navigate the development of balanced policies and regulations to reach outcomes their community wants. These lessons stem from in-depth research on gateway communities and their relationships to the STR, lodging, and housing industries over the last two decades. We also conducted in-depth interviews with 30+ gateway community leaders and STR industry insiders to help ground this content in the real world, highlighting experiences and resources from gateway communities across the West.
Whether you’re a community planner working on a general plan update, an elected official working on updating your local regulations, or you’re just a concerned or curious community member trying to understand what short-term rentals (STRs) are, each lesson in this course highlights an important part of understanding and managing STRs in gateway communities.
NOTE: This course is estimated to take ~6-8 hours to go through the main course content. We've also included many additional links, resources, and expandable "side trails" for participants to explore and watch at their leisure, however please note that will extend the course completion time.
Check out the video below for an introduction to the course:
Lessons in this course include:
-
Lesson 1: Introduction to Short-Term Rentals
-
Lesson 2: Start with Data – Finding, Understanding, & Utilizing Local STR Data
-
Lesson 3: Community-Driven Policy Development: The Groundwork for Success
-
Lesson 4: Developing & Implementing Effective Policies & Regulations
-
Lesson 5: Easing Compliance & Enforcement
-
Lesson 6: Enhancing Benefits – STR Tax Base, Economic Development, & Tourism
-
Lesson 7: How to Stay Engaged with Emerging Trends
Want to take a look at the course content? Check out this webinar for some key takeaways and research highlights from the course!
What's In It For You?
Upon completion of this course, you will get the following:
-
A digital certificate of completion from USU Extension
-
A digital badge that can be linked to your LinkedIn profile
-
Access to twice-yearly facilitated peer-to-peer learning and networking sessions with other course participants
-
Access to an online LinkedIn group of other GNAR community leaders who have taken GNAR Academy courses
-
7 AICP Certificate Maintenance (CM) credits (for AICP members)
COST: $100*
* Do you live in or work for a community in Utah? Use coupon code UTAH50 for 50% off!
Register for Understanding & Managing STRs >
Questions? Email liz.sodja@usu.edu
Funding for this training resource was provided by The Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman through the Land Use Training Fund:
AICP credits for this course are provided by the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association:
