Midland wants residents’ views on Airbnb-style rentals before it reviews its rules

MIDLAND, Mich. — The City of Midland is asking residents what they think about short-term rentals, the houses and apartments rented by the night or the week through services such as Airbnb and Vrbo. An online survey on the city’s E-CityHall engagement site will stay open until Oct. 23, WNEM and ABC12 reported.

The survey asks about people’s own experiences with short-term rentals and their general attitudes toward them. ABC12 said it takes five to 10 minutes to finish.

Midland does not currently put a limit on how many units can be rented out, short-term or long-term, both stations reported. ABC12 said the city handles short-term rentals through its housing code and the same property maintenance and nuisance rules that apply to every home in town.

City officials said the answers will help the Planning Department, city staff and the Midland City Council take stock of short-term rentals as they stand, think about possible changes to the ordinance and plan for future development, according to WNEM.

Listings have been growing. AirDNA, a company that tracks vacation rental data, counted 135 active short-term rental listings in Midland as of June, up 13.4% from a year earlier.

The survey is at cityofmidlandmi.gov/ecityhall. Questions can go to the Planning Department at 989-837-3374 or planning@midland-mi.org.

Sources:
WNEM, “Midland gathers feedback on Airbnb, VRBO through online survey,” Oct. 2, 2026, https://www.wnem.com/2026/10/02/midland-gathers-feedback-airbnb-vrbo-through-online-survey/
ABC12 (WJRT), “Midland seeks public input on short-term rental rules,” Oct. 2, 2026, https://www.abc12.com/news/local/midland-seeks-public-input-on-short-term-rental-rules/article_ef073e4c-ef7b-4a09-abb9-12c83126b9e2.html
AirDNA, “Midland, Michigan short-term rental listings & supply,” updated July 2026, https://www.airdna.co/vacation-rental-data/app/us/michigan/midland/supply
Photo: O. David Redwine, “Diehl House,” 2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diehl_House.jpg

Midland

Tags: Midland · News · Housing · Development