KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News deployed its team of location-based reporters to find out how different cities in the Kansas City area will regulate short-term rentals during the World Cup in June and July.
Independence reporter Tod Palmer said the city adjusted several key regulations on short-term rentals. During June and July, there will be no cap on the number of short-term rental properties allowed within city limits. And there's no limit to how many listings one individual can host.
The hotel tax operates differently in Missouri than it does in Kansas, where cities like Shawnee have increased their transient guest tax ahead of the World Cup.
Missouri sets the hotel tax, so municipalities haven't been able to adjust to account for an expected increase in tourism.
Short-term rentals offer an alternative to hotels.
Kansas City, Kansas, also relaxed some of its short-term rental requirements, according to KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson, who covers Wyandotte County.
The city digitized much of the application process and created a payment portal to make licensing a little bit easier for residents.
In November 2025, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Commissioners voted to approve a 10% transient guest tax rate, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and goes until Dec. 31, 2029.
Kansas City, Missouri, is making it easier to turn your home into a short-term rental during the World Cup.
Charlie Keegan, KSHB's local government and politics reporter, discovered that between now and July 31, a permit to use your home as a short-term rental in Kansas City costs $50 instead of the normal $200.
The city will collect transient guest tax and occupancy fees from these short-term rentals.
Opponents call short-term rentals “unstaffed hotels,” and they worry this policy puts tourists ahead of residents who invest in their homes and neighborhoods.
Lee's Summit is one of the areas that did not change its ordinances on short-term rentals despite having some hefty restrictions, explained Jackson County reporter Braden Bates.
City leaders told Bates they felt hotels in the city would provide a good economic benefit.
Lawrence-based reporter Lily O’Shea Becker said the city adjusted its regulations on short-term rentals to allow individuals to license more than three locations at once through July.
—
