This answer varies between Tuscaloosa and Northport, as well as specific communities within Tuscaloosa.

Properties within the Downtown-Campus District:

In Tuscaloosa, owners can rent their property for 45 days by right if the property is located within the downtown-campus tourist overlay district. This means, that during the course of the year you may rent your home for a total of up to 45 days as a short-term rental. 

Historic District Properties or Properties outside the Downtown-Campus District:

In the historic district and anywhere else located within the city limits of Tuscaloosa must go before the City of Tuscaloosa's Zoning Board of Adjustments to request a special exception to allow short-term rentals at their property.

The number of nights per year, number of adults and any other stipulation will be dictated by the ZBA. Any property located outside of the city limits of Tuscaloosa but within Tuscaloosa's police jurisdiction (PJ) is required to obtain a license through the City of Tuscaloosa but is permitted by right with no restrictions.

Taxes:

10% tax is collected by the city for properties located within city limits and 5% for properties located outside.

In all cases, you must secure a short-term rental license. Taxes are remitted on a monthly basis.

For full rules and requirements, visit www.tuscaloosa.com/str

Northport:

The story is different in Northport. Currently, in Northport you may rent all 365 days a year as a short-term rental if you desire, in any neighborhood in the city.

In Northport, STR is allowed by right for 365 days per year. Northport does require a license but it is a simple tax lodging license.

The short answer is maybe.

Whether you purchase a single family residence or a condo in Tuscaloosa, you still must secure a license, which includes getting the STR license and having an inspection to validate that all safety requirements for the city of Tuscaloosa have been addressed (these include such things as at least one operational window in each sleeping room; egress lighting; the presence of fire extinguishers and a connected fire alarm system etc. 

Full requirements can be found at www.tuscaloosa.com/str)

If you own a condo and wish to offer it as an STR, some additional regulations are in place:

A. Does the HOA allow STR? A copy of the HOA rules and covenants will disclose this information, as will a call to the property manager.

B. Does the unit have sprinklers? This is an additional safety requirement for condominiums. In most cases, the building codes in older buildings did not require sprinklers. So in most cases, this will mean the property must be newer to be eligible as a possible short term rental. In addition, an inspection by the fire department (a requirement for STR condominiums) will also confirm if this particular complex qualifies.

C. For condominiums, there is a limit to the number of units that can be offered as short term rentals overall. This is currently 150 units citywide. To date, we are nowhere close to this limit. There is no cap or specific limit per complex.

When the city of Tuscaloosa decided to legalize short term rental, there was agreement from both residents of the city’s historic neighborhoods and city officials that the integrity of the charming historic communities must be preserved. One such way was to make each person seeking to offer short term rental in the city’s historic district presents their request through the Zoning Board of Adjustments. Once approved, then a home in these areas goes through the same process as other neighborhoods in the city of Tuscaloosa, with inspections for safety requirements and application for an annual STR business license.

The historic district is largely contained within the area between the UA campus and downtown Tuscaloosa. part of a larger area you will sometimes hear referred to as “The Box.” The Box encompasses the campus area and the houses between Jack Warner Parkway and 15th St., and between Lurleen B. Wallace and University Blvd.

Other historic neighborhoods outside of The Box include The Highlands (past DCH on University Blvd.), The Downs, and Glendale Gardens (off of 10th Ave and Hargrove Rd.)

As previously referenced, Northport has no such restrictions citywide, including in its historic areas.

One of the most important reasons that short term rentals are so vital to the Tuscaloosa area is the limited number of existing hotel rooms. While new hotels are going up on a regular basis, there are simply not enough rooms to accommodate everyone who wants to be in town at busy times. 

Everyone knows that this includes football season. But if you buy a property and want to offer it as a short-term rental, you may wonder when else people may be looking for these types of accommodations.

The answer is that there are numerous times year-round to be able to monetize a property through short term rental. 

These include:

- UA graduations (spring, winter and summer)

- Spring parent weekends for Greek organizations

- High school students visiting UA

- UA awards programs in the spring

- Parents and incoming freshmen or transfer students coming to attend student orientation

- Sports camps

- Events at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

- The annual, juried Kentuck Arts Festival

- The marathon

- Family events such as weddings

- Events where a family or a group wishes to be able to stay in a single home vs. staying in several rooms at a hotel

We have been renting our own properties and working informally with others for years to determine how to best leverage their properties. But it goes far beyond an instinct or feeling. We use sophisticated dynamic pricing programs to develop a pricing strategy, with owners, that takes into account base pricing, special event pricing and pricing based on demand at peak times throughout the year.

Size of the property and amenities (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, outdoor space, proximity to desirable areas such as UA) all impact pricing as well.

Properties managed by HNG Property Rentals reflect a particular guest experience. Our current properties have already been named some of the best places to stay in the communities we serve and we only want to offer the best of the best. This does not always mean the most expensive properties, but it absolutely means we want to offer the best, most well-rounded experience for your guests. This will ensure repeat customers who want to come back to our properties (YOUR properties) time and time again.

Again, working with owners, we will determine if you have special requirements for how you wish for your property to be offered. We will also tell you what has successfully worked for others.

Once we come up with a plan/approach for your specific property, we will buy and stock supplies. These expenses will be passed directly through to you for reimbursement at no additional charge.

We have experience setting up short term rentals and understanding what most guests want for their use while visiting. With this mind, we have developed a checklist of things we know are preferred in a short-term rental. Some are must haves, and some are nice to haves. We will work with you to decide which if these you wish to offer. And then we will get the property fully prepared before your first guests arrive.