SPEAK was hired by Expedia’s sister company, HomeAway (now VRBO), to help loosen the restrictions on short term rentals in the City of Charleston. For years, Charleston had one of the nation’s strictest ordinances on short term rentals, banning them in all corners of the city with the exception of one neighborhood downtown. SPEAK worked with City Council members, Planning Commission members, partner organizations and associations, homeowners, and residents to find common ground on a solution that modernized the city ordinance while also respecting Charleston’s unique quality of life. After the year-long campaign, Charleston City Council ended the ban on short term rentals in April of 2018.