Lexington County Council is continuing a lengthy review of the county’s short-term rental regulations.

Short-term rentals like those operated through Airbnb and VRBO have been unregulated in unincorporated areas of Lexington County, prompting a call for changes.

The council is backing off some of the more stringent regulations originally proposed following an outcry of opposition at a public hearing Dec. 6. Local business owners complained that too many restrictions would hurt tourism and local businesses

At its Jan. 23 meeting, council continued to fine-tune the regulations. The members discussed requiring annual permits for owners, who would be required to sign off on regulations. The permit would have to be renewed and updated every year. Council is also considering an annual fee for permits.

Issues discussed at the Jan. 23 meeting included requiring owners to provide a designated contact to deal with any issues that may come up with rentals. County officials said some owners live out-of-state and are difficult to reach when problems occur.

Council has been actively mulling options to address issues with short-term rentals for nearly a year, with tourism driven by Lake Murray and worries about some Airbnb and VRBO occupants becoming a nuisance to their neighbors. 

David Bergmann, a real estate agent who has publicly voiced opposition to some of the regulations, said he is pleased council is backing off some of the restrictions.

Bergmann told the Chronicle he was particularly pleased that the county is withdrawing a proposal to block short-term rentals in residential areas. He said many of the short-term rental requests are located in residential communities.

The real estate agent added that having a designated contact person to deal with rental issues is not a problem.

“That’s fine with me,” he said.

But he doesn’t like the idea of permit fees.

Bergmann said he expects council to hold another public hearing after a final update on the regulations is completed.