Seattle Short Term Rental Operator License Number

[Tom800]

Hi all -

I am trying to register my Seattle short-term rental unit on Airbnb's site. I've gone through all the required steps with the State and City (got my UBI, city business license, etc), and also acquired my Short Term Rental Operator's License and added a unit to it.

However, I'm not clear on *what number, exactly* I am supposed to enter on the Airbnb registration form. Nowhere on the city website is there any mention to a "Short-term rental license number."

I tried to supply the STR OL "Record" in the Airbnb reg form (e.g., STR-OPLI-19-000501) but that entry returned an error. So, I'm assumimg Airbnb is validating my entry against some kind of City of Seattle database. Do I use my customer number? UBI? Other?

I know I'm fully compliant in terms of having paid all my dues and acquired my license. I'm just not understanding what actual number needs to go in the Airbnb form. Would be grateful for anyone's help as I'm just trying to complete this last step, having spent all week fighting with City of Seattle's web tools.

Thanks

Tom

[Helen427]

hello @Tom800 

Have you reached out to ABB Customer Services?
Or perhaps scanned through listings in your location who are registered & sent them a msg via "enquiry"?
It's one way to also foster a local neighbourhood network.

There may also be related info here in CC if you use related keywords in the searchbox.

All the Best

Central To All Home & Location

[Tom800]

I have contacted Airbnb support. They say they are going to find someone on their team who is knowledgable on this topic and get back to me.

I have not found an answer to my question here in CC. I looked before posting this inquiry.

It's not evident to me how to tell (if it's possible to tell at all) whether a host in the Seattle area is already registered. If the platform makes that data point obvious, I will send inquiries to those hosts who are already showing as registered. 

Thanks.

[Morris-and-Sheila0]

HI  Every Time I try register my Seattle short-term rental with the city of Seattle it says they are still working on the interface and they will notify me when it's ready.  According to Airbnb it has to be done in 2 weeks.  UMMMMMMM, have you had any luck yet?

Sheila

[Jie22]

Morris & Sheila, the application site should be open to the public now at https://cosaccela.seattle.gov 🙂

[Jie22]

No input, but I'm posting to subscribe to any replies

[Jie22 · Accepted solution]

@Tom800 I've figured this out. I was able to register my listing with the license number (of the form "1x-xxxxxx") that's associated with the "Short-Term Rental Operator License" record in the Seattle Licensing website. You can confirm that this is the number by downloading the Operating License Report PDF that's available under the Attachments tab under the "Short-Term Rental Operator License" record. The report will have the license number; that license number should match the record number. The record also has the license expiration date info.

Let me know if that works for you! 

[Tom800]

Thanks @Jie22 ! I too managed to figure this out a couple of months ago. But really appreciate you following up!

[Jie22]

Ha, gotcha. Well, kudos for procrastinating less than I did 🙂 

[Norea1]

I am having this same issue, but the field where I am supposed to enter the correct license number only accepts number, even though Seattle Rental Operator License numbers contain letters. Any advice @Tom800 . I have not been able to get a response from Airbnb; my listing has been down for two weeks now.

[Tom800]

Hah, we're not procrastinators! We just very thoughtfully pick our moments! 😄

[Lorrie21]

Hi, does anyone know about paying Washington State business taxes quarterly or paying Seattle taxes now that we were required to get both licenses?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I had difficulty registering my unit and once I did I didn't know what numbers to enter.  Thanks for your help!

[Katherine479]

Hi all -- I'm a reporter at the Seattle Times covering real estate. I'm interested in getting more perspectives on the process of registering your units with the city. I'd love to hear from you at kalong@seattletimes.com or (206) 464 3229.

Warmly,

Katherine Khashimova Long

[Lorrie21]

Hi all Seattle Airbnb owners, 

I was interviewed by Katherine Khashimova Long yesterday regarding her investigation about the City of Seattle Short Term Rental program and Airbnb.  Look for her article to appear sometime soon in the Seattle Times.  Thanks, Katherine for investigating this situation.  

[Lorrie21]

The article appears in Friday's Seattle Times.  Thanks, Katherine