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AirBnB and Fire Codes in Newport, RI
Newport, RI Stiffens Fire Safety Requirements for AirBnB Properties
The Summer of '18 was a distressing one for many AirBnB property owners in Newport, Rhode Island. Property owners across the city opened notices from the Building Inspector's office telling them they were not approved for registration as a short term rental. The reason? 
As a local AirBnB manager I have clients who received this notice. When they asked for more information they received this email from the Building Inspector's office in Newport: 
Be advised that unless you live within the dwelling unit while the renters are there it is considered a “change of use” under RI Building Code and therefore becomes subject to code upgrades equal to a hotel (R-1) including: but not limited to:
Fire sprinkler system
Upgraded fire alarm system
Accessibility requirements
Means of egress requirements
Only by seeking variance relief through the RI Building Board of Appeals or RI Rehab Code Board of Appeals can this allowed without full code upgrades.
 
What DOES that mean?
City of Newport Building Inspector Bill Hanley took the time to sit with us and to answer our questions and explain what was happening. As Newport continues to grapple with the best way to manage all the competing interests surround the rise in AirBnB properties the issue ... more

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