Short-Term Rental Specialist

Position Overview

Short Term Rental Specialist

$65,000-$70,000 DOE

Reporting to the Sales Tax Administrator the Short Term Rental Coordinator oversees the daily operation of the town’s short-term rental program and is responsible for short-term rental registrations, compliance, and policy recommendations. This position is also responsible for providing backup for daily and monthly sales tax and business licensing processing and reporting functions. This position provides administrative backup for the Town’s front office.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

SHORT TERM RENTAL

• Manages Short-Term Rental Registration Process: Responsible for efficient and accurate collection of short-term rental license applications; the registration process includes the review of required registration documentation, insurance policy review, and payment collection. 

• Provides policy recommendations to the sales tax administrator and finance director, while also conducting ongoing education and outreach for the program. 

• Investigates potential non-compliant rental properties and communicates with owners in a professional manner to increase awareness and encourage compliance.  

• Collaborates with other departments, such as Fire, Police (Code Enforcement), and Municipal Court, to monitor and enforce short-term rental regulations. 

• Monitors compliance using specialized software, which requires daily follow up. 

• Responsible for short-term rental complaint process.  Communicate with property owners and complainants regarding complaints and complaint resolution.  Document and validate complaints for the purposes of license revocation.  Provides substantiation to the Sales Tax Administrator and Finance Director with evidence and documentation needed for a revocation process. 

• Responsible for managing software improvements, data cleanup, report development and workflow processes.  This includes online application and payment processes for individual property owners, property managers and the lodging community. 

• Communicates with the lodging community and property managers regarding any changes to regulations, registration processes, and other applicable issues.   

• Answers questions regarding short-term rental regulations; complies data for record requests 

• Monitors for timely collection of registration fees. Reconciles fee revenue accounts monthly. 

• Maintains regular communication with the Sales Tax Administrator regarding registration status, fee collections, and complaints. 

• Collaborates with fire department to schedule, review, and approve fire inspections, responsible for oversight of scheduling software. 

• Collaborates with Sales Tax Administrator on the development of data statistics regarding short-term rental inventory, revenue generation, bed base and demographic information of owners 

SALES TAX AND BUSINESS LICENSING 

• Acts as a member of the sales tax/business licensing team, providing backup support for the sales tax administrator and sales tax specialist. This includes:  

• Preparation of monthly sales tax reporting for Council revenue update and “same store” report. 
• Reconciliations of sales tax, business licenses, and STR registrations, and STR fines. 
• Processing sales tax and business license applications including special events. 
• Ensuring appropriate licensing for businesses operating in the town. 
• Maintaining accurate records within specialized tax and licensing software solutions.   

• Assists Sales Tax Administrator with construction use tax and sales tax audits; assists with constriction and permit-related revenue reconciliations. 

ACCOUNTING AND ADMINISTRATION 

• Performs weekly and monthly parking reconciliations for daily parking sales.  

• Maintains internal control structure and provides adequate documentation for the annual external audit. 

• Provides other backup functions for municipal front desk functions for daily lunches and vacations: cash receipting, excellent customer relations, journal entry input, receptionist duties, invoice and purchasing card processing as needed.  

• Responsible for complying with all Town of Vail safety and health policies, practices, and procedures that prevent any mitigate human and economic losses arising from accidental causes and adverse occupational and environmental health exposures. 

•  Serve the citizens and guests of the Town of Vail by abiding by all Town of Vail core values. 

•  Performs the job in accordance with all Town of Vail safety practices. 

•  Other duties as assigned. 

Skills / Requirements

Ability to understand and communicate town regulations specific to short-term licensing and sales tax while assisting with the enforcement of those laws.  Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, on the phone or via email. Ability to provide excellent customer service while also upholding Town of Vail ordinances. Skilled in spreadsheet, word processing, and other computer applications.  A motivated and detail-oriented person with strong organizational skills is well suited for this position. 

Qualified applicants must demonstrate excellent work history and meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, finance or related field and/or at least 3 year’s progressively responsible accounting or payment processing experience required.  

• Excellent customer service skills and experience required. Ability to understand and communicate town regulations specific to short-term licensing and sales tax while assisting with the enforcement of those laws.  

Culture / Lifestyle / Benefits

Are you interested in living and working in Vail, CO?  Vail, which is centrally located in the Rocky Mountains, offers easy access to Denver (100 miles to the east) and is surrounded by the White River National Forest, offering world class outdoor activities in summer and winter (skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, white water).

When asked, most of our employees say that working for the Town of Vail feels like family.  Our values-based culture is nurtured by the employees’ strong desire to foster teamwork, take ownership in Vail’s future and an overall pride for serving their community.  Let’s not forget that our efforts not only benefit the community but also allow us to enjoy the spectacular amenities and culture in the Vail Valley which we call home! To find out more about our community, please visit our website www.vailgov.com and click on Vail Information.

Year-Round Benefits (2024 Benefits Outline)

The Town of Vail offers an excellent benefits and compensation package to our Full-time employees. This includes health and dental coverage, town-funded retirement, 457 pre-tax savings plan, life/survivor insurance, tennis pass, golf pass and other ski pass/wellness benefits. 

What’s more, the town offers many other benefits to help employees make Vail their “home” including employee housing options, home buyer/renter assistance programs, day care assistance, education reimbursements, professional development opportunities and much, much more. 

The Town of Vail is an Equal Opportunity Employer