The following has been provided by Melissa Wright, STR Permits.

Melissa is a short-term rental permit expert of Type A and Type B permits and a Host2Host member.

IMPORTANT:  MELISSA CAN ASSIST PEOPLE WITH TYPE A AND TYPE B PERMITS BUT NOT QUESTIONS ABOUT TLT AND BUSINESS NUMBERS; THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT, TO GIVE YOU THOSE TOOLS.

Portland requires Airbnb hosts to submit their licensing data or be removed from the platform.

If you host in Portland, Oregon you have likely received notifications from either Airbnb or your management companies that Airbnb now requires each operator to register their property through Airbnb's system. Whether you are new to Airbnb or a veteran STR host, you must register with Airbnb or be removed from their platform.

Statement from Airbnb:

“When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it’s important for you to understand the laws in your city. As a platform and marketplace we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide some useful links that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Portland. This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you a good start in understanding your local laws. If you have questions, contact the Bureau of Development Services, the Revenue Bureau, or other city agencies directly, or consult a local lawyer or tax professional. Please refer to our quick reference guide for helpful links regarding the short-term rental permitting process in Portland.” ~ Airbnb  See Airbnb's entire Portland, Oregon help page.

Hosting Requirements:

All residentially zoned short-term rentals in the City of Portland are required to:

1. Obtain an Accessory Short Term Rental permit (ASTR)

2. Register their short-term rental as a business. “Account number”

3. Register with the Transient Lodging Tax program (TLT)

Airbnb will require the above three numbers in order to register your listing on the Airbnb site. Here are the formats and information Airbnb requires:

1. ASTR number: 00-000000-000-00-HO (Type-B ASTR ends in LU) (The first two digits are the year your permit was issued.)

2. Expiration date: (Type A’s expire two years after the issue date. Type B’s don’t have an expiration date.)

3. Business license number: 000000 (6 digits) 

4. TLT license number: 00000 (5 digits) 

5. Full name: ______________________ 

6. Email: __________________________ 

   
   

1. ASTR PERMIT NUMBER:

Don't have an ASTR permit number yet?

Type-A ASTR: If you don’t have a permit for your studio, or 1-2 bedroom listing; Airbnb will instruct you on permitting. Simply go to the Airbnb website and follow the prompts to enter in your information. Once the City of Portland receives what you've shared with Airbnb about your potential listing, the City will send you the documents to finish filling out, have notarized, and they will ask that you provide your "proof of residency" in the form of your Oregon Drivers License that reflects the STR address. *If you don't have a long-term resident living at the address where you short-term rent, you can not operate a short term rental.  

OPTION to the on-line process: You can still complete your Type-A ASTR permit application off of the Airbnb platform and submit the forms to the City of Portland directly. This would be the required option for anyone renting short term rooms on any platform besides Airbnb (VACASA, VRBO, Craigslist, etc). Here are the City of Portland Type-A ASTR permit application forms.

If you use Airbnb’s registration system, it will assist you in obtaining all three required numbers together. If you don’t use Airbnb’s system to obtain your Type-A ASTR, you will need to obtain your TLT and Business Licence number separately. 

Type-B ASTR: If you do not yet have a permit for your 3-5 bedroom short term rental, you will need to obtain a City of Portland Type-II Land Use Review for a Type-B ASTR permit. This link offers information on the Type-B application process; but not all submittal requirements are listed here.

There are so many elements required in order to be approved for this type of rental. If you try to use Airbnb's pass-through system for your Type-B property, you may be wasting time waiting to hear back from the City who will tell you that you have to apply for a Type-II Land Use Review and you can not use Airbnb's system. Save time and money and get in touch with STR Permits.   

Already have a ASTR permit number?  

In order to look up your permit number and what Airbnb is calling the "expiration date," you can simply go to PortlandMaps.com and type in your property address. Scroll down to see the "Permits" button, and click there to find your ASTR permit number.  

• You’ll find your permit number listed in this format: 2019-000000-000-00-HO for Type-A ASTR’s, or 2019-000000-000-00-LU for Type-B ASTR’s. 

• Airbnb will want you to input this number in this format: 19-000000-000-00-HO (or ending in LU) 

• The Type-B ASTR does not have an expiration date. This is an issue with Airbnb's system that I've alerted them to and they have assured me that they are working on fixing this. (I have heard of one Type-B homeowner that entered in "December 31, 2118" and Airbnb's system accepted it. So if you don't want to wait for the fix, you can try that, no guarantees from me on this though.)

• For those of you that have already submitted your Type-A ASTR documents and are still in process with the City, and you have not yet received your permit approval, you can still use the permit number that you see on PortlandMaps.com. Even though you are still in the "Application" status, that number will become your official ASTR number. (As for the expiration date, I'm not sure what to tell you on this... Again, I've heard of people just making one up that is two years from now and they figure that Airbnb will correct it later. No guarantees from me on this one either. These are Airbnb issues that they need to fix.) 

• Renewals: Airbnb has not created a system for renewals yet. We are all standing by to see what they will do to accommodate upcoming renewals.  

  
  

2. OREGON BUSINESS REGISTRY:  

Already registered as a business? 

If you have already registered your business and need to look up the number, you can use this City of Portland business lookup. Many hosts already have business numbers but have forgotten them over the years. 

• To search for your license number use your business name, Social Security number, or address to look it up. 

• Use your Social Security Number in the "Enter Tax ID" field. 

• You will likely be prompted to sign in to your Portlandoregon.gov account or asked to create one. Once you login, you will be able to see your "Account number" which is your  business licence number. The Airbnb format for this number is six digits: 000000  

Need to register your business? 

Begin your business registration here.

Additional info:  

• You can register your business either with a business name or simply use the STR property address. 

• As a Sole Proprietor, if listing makes less than $50K a year there is no income tax but a Business License is still required. I've been told that the Business License number should be issued to the applicant within 48-hours.  

3. CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY TO COLLECT TRANSIENT LODGING TAX:  

Don’t know your Transient Lodging Tax number? 

If you have a TLT number but you don’t know what it is, contact Craig Doherty at The City of Portland Revenue Department and he will look it up for you. There is no online lookup at this time.  (503) 865-2485; Craig.Doherty@portlandoregon.gov 

If you know that you do not yet have a TLT number, you will need to fill out the Transient Lodging Tax registration form and email it to Craig Doherty at the above email address. 

Two additional City of Portland TLT information links you might find helpful: 

Frequently Asked Transient Lodging Tax Questions

Transient Lodging Tax Information

TIMELINE FOR THE NEW AIRBNB REGISTRATION PROCESS 

provided by Airbnb

Registration Process 

Applying for an ASTR permit through Airbnb is a 2 phase process. Phase 1 is completed online via Airbnb and Phase 2 is completed offline with the city. You can host as soon as you complete Phase 1 while Phase 2 is pending completion.

If you apply for your ASTR permit through Airbnb [or directly with the City of Portland], you will only have to complete an in house inspection if you are picked as one of the 10% who will be inspected and you won’t have to apply for your ASTR permit number, Business License permit number, and Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) license number separately. The process for each phase is outlined below. 

Phase 1

Apply for your ASTR permit via manage your listing on Airbnb:

• Fill in your name, contact information, property address, and description

• Select your permit type (Type A or B)

• If you’ve already registered with the city enter any existing permit numbers

• • ASTR permit number

  • Business License Number

  • TLT License Number

Phase 2

Within 60 days of submitting your application on Airbnb, the Bureau of Revenue will mail you your ASTR, TLT, and business license registration forms pre populated with information from your Airbnb application. You will also receive a neighborhood notice form.

• After receiving these forms you have 60 days to sign and mail them back with your payment to complete Phase 2 of the registration process.

• The ASTR registration form must be notarized.

• You’re also required to mail back a copy of your Oregon Driver’s License or Oregon Identification Card to confirm residency at the site. The address on your ID must match the ASTR address.

Data sharing

• Airbnb will pass hosts' registration and listing data through to the City, in accordance with applicable laws. 

• During the registration process, hosts will be prompted to agree to sharing their data with the City to apply for an ASTR (Accessory Short Term Rental) permit and publish a listing on the Airbnb website. If you disagree, you will be dropped from the site.
  

This document has been researched, written and compiled by Melissa Wright owner of  STRpermit. Melissa offers full service ASTR permitting assistance for City of Portland property owners.

Find out more here.