Let’s talk about the housing crisis in Lexington. 

Airbnb rentals contribute significantly to this problem by reducing housing availability for long-term residents. According to data from Inside Airbnb (a non-profit organization), as many as 1 in 10 properties in some neighborhoods are listed on Airbnb. This has contributed to an increase in home prices.

According to a recent New York Times article, Lexington, KY is the third most difficult city in the US for first time home buyers to purchase a home. Lexington is only behind San Diego, CA and Fremont, CA.

Lexington, KY is harder to purchase a starter home than the following cities:

San Jose, CA

Riverside, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Sacramento, CA

How did Lexington, KY get to the point where it is not only competing, but beating some of the most expensive cities in the US? It is an illusion that there is not enough hotels to support the tourism. According to VisitLex's most recently available Hotel Developer's Toolkit for Lexington, Kentucky (within the past 5 years), annual hotel occupancy in Lexington and the regional area has hovered between 62.1% and 63.7% since 2014. Bluegrass Hospitality Association notated in their most recent economic report available that only 35% of tourists in Kentucky stay overnight. 

This trend is not sustainable or fair for our residents who wish to live and work here. It's time we put people over profits by banning Airbnb rentals within city limits, as they are clearly not needed, with Lexington having hotel occupancy available and large hotels built recently since these reports came out.

We call upon our local government officials - those who have been elected by us, for us - to enact legislation that bans short-term rentals like Airbnb within Lexington's city limits. By doing so, we can begin restoring affordability and availability back into our housing market.

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving affordable housing options for all residents of Lexington.