GUIDE TO: Operating A Legal Short-Term Rental in Charleston SC
THE Guidelines While the vacation rental market in downtown Charleston has reached new heights, converting your own home into an investment property in the short-term rental market starts with asking a lot of questions – and understanding the guidelines outlined by the city. To utilize your property as a vacation rental, there are some highly specific guidelines to follow. When we meet with homeowners interested in having us manage their property as a rental, the first thing we discuss is LO CATI O N . Within the City of Charleston, the property must fall inside of two zoning categories.
1.
Must be included in the General Business (GB) or Limited Business (LB) base zoning layer;
2.
Must be included in the short-term rental or “Accommodations Overlay.�
If your property meets these criteria and is permitted to operate as a short-term rental, the next step in getting your property approved is to apply for a business license or a Certificate of Occupancy (CO).
STEP 2 Apply for
STEP 1
License
Check location with City
STEP 3 Arrange fire inspection STEP 4 Obtain Certificate STEP 5 Start renting your home M APS TO RE FE RE NCE : City of Charleston Zoning Short Term Overlay Map
THE PROCESS OF GETTING YOUR HOME APPROVED MIGHT APPEAR TO BE TEDIOUS, BUT THAT’S PRECISELY THE THINGS THAT WE HANDLE FOR OUR CLIENTS. WE ARE SKILLED IN DEALING WITH THE CITY AND CAN OVERSEE THE PROCESS ON YOUR BEHALF.
NEXT Steps The city will arrange for a fire inspection of the home to ensure the property is deemed safe and up to the city’s codes and standards. They specifically check for the following ~ so it’s a good idea to ensure you have these ahead of time: Operational door or window in every room. In a city like Charleston, with the high volume of historic architecture, a lot of windows have become sealed shut over time - whether intentionally or with age - so ensuring there is at least one is a necessity. Up-to-date fire extinguisher (Type2A:10B:C) which must be tagged. ‘Pye-Barker’ is a local fire company in Charleston that can do this on your behalf. If the home is newly-built you will need to get a Certificate of Occupancy from the city. To obtain this, you will need three things:
1.
Sub–Contractor List
2.
Final Building/Zoning Inspection
3.
Re-inspection (if builder or sub-contractors require any re inspection fees during the project).
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