Vacation rental company owners are planning an appeal to Orange Beach City Council to address new rules by online rental company Airbnb they say give the service an unfair advantage.

“Local rental managers will speak at the Orange Beach City Council meeting and they will ask the council to look at the fine print in Airbnb's new host and checkout policies, which take effect Nov. 20, and to consider city ordinances that protect locally owned rental businesses, their employees and the neighborhoods they serve,” a release from Brandy A. Davis of Beachball Properties states.

The council meets in a joint regular/committee of the whole session on Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. at city hall.

Davis’ release says Airbnb is promoting that the changes will keep customers from having to do “chores” upon checkout or lessening some of the requirements about cleaning.

“It’s not about chores,” Davis’ release states. “The real story is in the fine print. Hosts will no longer be allowed to require a guest ID, a signed rental agreement or guest contact information. That affects everyone in Orange Beach. Without a signed rental agreement, local police won't evict a guest. Without ID, owners have no protection against fraud, theft or damage.”

Contact information is vital for reaching guests in an emergency, much like the recent scare with Hurricane Isaias, the release states.

“Rental managers will ask the city council to adopt ordinances requiring a guest ID, a signed rental agreement and emergency contact information for every short-term rental in Orange Beach, no matter which platform it is booked through,” it further states.

Connections to the vacation rental industry on elected or appointed boards in Orange Beach include City Councilwoman Ginger Harrelson and recently appointed Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Board Member Hunter Harrelson. The husband-wife duo are the owners of Beachball Properties.