The City of Newport announced today that it launched a new online Short Term Rental (STR) portal this week, which aims to streamline registration and compliance with the city’s roughly 360 recorded short-term rentals.
Powered by GovOS, the City of Newport says in a press release that the new system is designed to make it easier for property owners to register their units properly and for City staff to enforce Newport’s existing STR ordinances.
The move also removes the registration process from the City Clerk’s Office, which will no longer accept or process Short-Term Rental applications. Instead, property owners will be directed to the City’s dedicated Short Term Rental Office, which is charged with registering and enforcing the City’s STR rules.
Over the coming weeks, property owners with previous Transient Guest Facility Certificates will receive a registration letter by mail from the City of Newport with account and activation code information and instructions on the registration process. A second mailing will follow in March, and anyone with questions about accessing their account information is asked to contact City staff via email at str@cityofnewport.com.
Once logged in, the Short-Term Rental Portal will provide owners with the option of paperless registration and certification and a dedicated Business Center with agents available from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
The new system can be found via the City’s website at www.CityofNewport.com/STRportal or https://newportri.munirevs.com. To contact the GovOS help desk, please dial 888-751-1911 or email blt.str.support@govos.com.
The City reminds property owners that all short-term rental properties must be registered with the State of Rhode Island and the City. In Newport, Transient Guest House Applications should be completed online by May 31st each year.
More information about Short Term Rentals can be found on the City’s website at www.CityofNewport.com/STR.