Anchorage will require market data from short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo

The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday voted to require short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo to provide the city with data on the growing vacation rental market in Anchorage.

The ordinance, approved by members in an 11-1 vote, calls for the platforms to provide several types of data, including a list of all units rented, the type of units and the total number of operators.

The measure is slightly different than the initial version members proposed earlier this month. Tuesday’s approved version requires more specific information, such as the location information for rentals that’s available on the listings. And the number of operators is required to be aggregated by month.

“Having that monthly breakdown will let us really look more at seasonal fluctuations,” member Anna Brawley said.

The rental platforms pay the city room taxes on behalf of the operators. The additional information will now be required when they submit taxes. Statistical information derived from the supplemental data will be public, according to the ordinance passed on Tuesday.

The measure does not place any requirements or restrictions on the operators of short-term rentals.

Many city leaders have said that Anchorage is experiencing a housing crisis, with few rentals available and rising rents and home prices. The sponsors of the ordinance — Assembly Vice Chair Meg Zaletel and members Randy Sulte and Daniel Volland — said it will help the city understand more about how short-term rentals are affecting the housing market.

“My hope is that, once this information is gathered, it provides a baseline for the body to look at policy considerations around the impacts of short-term rentals and whether or not those impacts are municipal-wide, or if they are concentrated in particular places so that targeted policy solutions can come from this,” Zaletel said.

A rapid increase in short-term rentals has been cited by state economists and housing experts as a likely factor in the city’s housing crunch.

Last year, Anchorage room taxes paid by hosting platforms were up about 20% from the previous year, reaching $6.5 million. That’s about 15% of total room taxes, which are also paid by hotels, motels, lodges, and traditional bed and breakfasts.

Last week, a representative of AirDNA said that short-term rental listings in Anchorage have roughly doubled over the last five years. The firm analyzes the short-term rental market. It counted 4,628 listings on average over a 12-month period that ended in July, according to the representative.

Earlier this year, the Assembly passed a proposal that would have created a licensing program for short-term rentals, while adding costs and potential penalties for the property owners. Former Mayor Dave Bronson vetoed the measure, and the Assembly did not move to override his veto.

“This is an attempt to come back and get the information and get the data,” Zaletel said of Tuesday’s ordinance.

Airbnb acknowledged an email from the Daily News but did not answer questions on Tuesday. Vrbo did not respond to emailed questions.

Several cities in the U.S. and in other countries have enacted laws that attempt to rein in the proliferation of short-term rentals. Some have added rules limiting the number of units a person or company can own and rent out for short-term use. Others have set rules on the total number of vacation rentals allowed in an area, have implemented new taxes or have banned them altogether.

Assembly member Scott Myers voted against the measure on Tuesday.