Ocean City looking for ways to get a grip on unlicensed rental units

Ocean City ponders whether vacation rentals should be required to provide business license information. City officials believe the booming growth of online rentals has created two issues: businesses are neither getting licensed nor paying room taxes.

Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville proposed a code amendment to require all vacation rentals to list business license information. However, there were worries among the council that instituting changes so close to summer season would hamper renters this year.

Mayor Rick Meehan tells WGMD some of the recommendations will cause problems for rental companies who have already purchased print ads for the upcoming season. Regardless, Meehan thinks some form of the regulation will be adopted this year, with a comprehensive code adjustment to follow.