For short-term rentals, an "agent of record" is the local person or business named on your permit who serves as the required point of contact for your property — reachable when there's a problem, and physically close enough to respond. Most city ordinances don't use the phrase "agent of record" themselves; they call the role a "responsible party," "local contact," "local representative," or "local operator." The term varies, but the function is consistent: a real, named, locally-present contact that the jurisdiction can hold accountable.
If you own a short-term rental in a city that requires one and you don't live nearby, this role is usually the single hardest permit condition to satisfy.
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"Agent of record" originates in insurance, where it means the licensed agent a policyholder authorizes to represent them with an insurer. In the short-term rental world, the phrase has been borrowed to describe something related but distinct: the party of record who represents the property locally for compliance purposes.
Worth being precise here, because precision is the point: "agent of record" is a descriptive term for the service, not a statutory one. When you read an actual ordinance, you'll see "responsible party" or "local contact," not "agent of record." We use "agent of record" because it captures the standing, named, on-file nature of the role better than "local contact," which undersells it — but if you're searching your city's code, search for the terms below.
Across jurisdictions that mandate a local contact, the requirements cluster around three things:
1. Locality. The contact must be physically near the property — often defined by a radius. Nashville, for example, requires the responsible party to be a person or business residing or located within 25 miles of the property (Metropolitan Code of Laws § 6.28.030). Other cities use different distances or define proximity differently.
2. Reachability. The contact must be available when something goes wrong. Nashville requires the responsible party to answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of every rental period, to address problems associated with the property. The exact availability standard varies by city, but the principle — a live human when a neighbor or the city calls — is near-universal.
3. Public naming. The contact is on file with the permitting authority and, frequently, posted at the property. Nashville requires the responsible party's name and phone number to be conspicuously posted inside the unit.
Some jurisdictions add a fourth element: the contact must be able to physically respond, not just answer the phone — present at the property within a set time to handle an emergency or complaint.
When you research your own market, you're looking for any of these:
They are functionally the same requirement wearing different labels. Whatever your city calls it, the underlying question is identical: who local is accountable for this property?
Important: requirements are set locally and vary significantly between cities — distance rules, availability standards, and who qualifies are all jurisdiction-specific. Never assume one city's rule applies to another. Always confirm against your own municipality's code or permit application.
This depends entirely on the jurisdiction, but common eligible parties include:
Notably, many ordinances expressly permit a business to serve, not only an individual. Nashville's code names "a person or business" as eligible. Where that's the case, a company retained for the purpose fits the ordinance's own language — it isn't a workaround.
The practical distinctions between these options cost, reliability, and what happens when the arrangement is tested at 2 a.m. are covered in Who Can Be the Responsible Party on a Nashville STR Permit?
Cities didn't invent this to create paperwork. The local contact requirement exists because short-term rentals introduce transient occupancy into residential neighborhoods, and neighborhoods want assurance that someone accountable is reachable when a rental generates noise, parking conflicts, or safety concerns; without the city itself becoming the first responder.
From a city's perspective, an out-of-state owner with no local presence is a problem waiting to happen. The local contact requirement is how jurisdictions keep absentee ownership compatible with neighborhood livability. It's also, not coincidentally, the requirement that most directly complicates remote and out-of-state ownership; which is what The One Legal Requirement That Blocks Out-of-State STR Self-Management is about.
HostDelegate serves as your named local contact of record — the agent-of-record role, delivered as a standalone service. A named local agent within the required radius, listed on your permit; a dedicated phone number answered around the clock following your written instructions; a vetted local professional dispatched when a situation genuinely requires physical presence; and documented records of every call and dispatch.
We are not a property manager. We don't take bookings, message guests, set pricing, or run day-to-day operations. You keep self-managing everything else. We hold the one role your permit requires and you can't fill from a distance — for a flat fee, not a share of your revenue.
We currently serve Nashville, with additional markets rolling out.
Is "agent of record" a legal requirement?
The role is a legal requirement in many cities. The term usually isn't — ordinances typically say "responsible party" or "local contact." Search your city's code for those.
Do all cities require a local contact for STRs?
No. Requirements are entirely local. Many cities require one, many don't, and the specifics vary widely among those that do. Check your municipality.
Can the agent of record be a company?
In most jurisdictions, yes — Nashville's code expressly permits a person or business. Others may require a natural person. This is jurisdiction-specific.
Is the agent of record the same as a property manager?
No. A property manager may serve as your local contact as part of a broader service, but the local-contact role itself is narrow: being the named, reachable, local point of contact. It doesn't require managing the property.
What happens if I don't have one where it's required?
You generally can't get or keep a permit, and operating without a valid permit carries penalties that vary by city. See your local ordinance.
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This article is general information as of July 2026 and is not legal advice. Local-contact requirements are set by individual jurisdictions and vary significantly — confirm the rules for your specific market with the local permitting authority before acting.