Why Advocacy Must Be a Line Item in Your Property Management Business Plan with Scott Leggat of Inhabit
October 6, 2026
Scott Leggat, Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy at Inhabit, joins Lynell Gordon on The Vacation Rental Show to explain why advocacy should be treated like insurance, payroll, or marketing: a standard cost of doing business in vacation rentals. With 26 years of experience across property management, technology, ownership, and advocacy, Scott has seen firsthand how quickly regulation can change the future of an STR business.
Scott breaks down the regulatory issues unfolding across the country, why local rules are often copied from one jurisdiction to another, and how AI-powered regulatory risk assessments can help operators understand what to look out for before making major business decisions.
Scott Leggat believes advocacy should be treated as a standard part of running a vacation rental business, alongside insurance, payroll, and marketing. In this episode, he and Lynell Gordon look at the growing regulatory pressure facing short-term rentals and why operators can't afford to wait until restrictive legislation appears before getting involved. Scott explains how regulations are often copied from one city or town to another before their effectiveness has been tested, and discusses current examples including Alabama's merchant of record legislation, the complex situation in Maui, and the ongoing regulatory debate in Dallas.
Scott also explains how Inhabit is using AI to help operators understand regulatory risk before it becomes a bigger business problem. Its regulatory risk assessment tool can examine a city, ZIP code, state, or region and identify the current regulatory climate, potential changes, and the people involved in proposed legislation. That information is becoming particularly important in mergers and acquisitions, where buyers need to understand the regulatory exposure attached to a vacation rental company or market.
The larger message is that property managers need to become active participants in the conversations shaping their markets. Scott says the industry needs to do a better job communicating the jobs, economic activity, and professional standards it brings to local communities while building relationships with officials before a crisis emerges. For Scott, protecting a vacation rental business increasingly means understanding both sides of the equation: what's happening with bookings and revenue today, and what regulatory changes could determine where that business can operate tomorrow.
What you'll learn:
- Why Scott believes advocacy should have a permanent place in every vacation rental company's business plan
- How short-term rental regulations can spread from one city or town to another before their effectiveness has been fully tested
- How AI-powered regulatory risk assessments can help operators and potential buyers evaluate a market
- Why regulatory risk can affect the long-term value and saleability of a property management company
- Why operators should build advocacy relationships before restrictive legislation appears
- How local alliances and programs such as Right to Rent can help fund advocacy efforts
- What current data suggests about booking windows, rates, and the broader vacation rental market
- Why Scott believes continued education, industry involvement, and relationship-building are essential as the vacation rental sector evolves
About Scott Leggat: Scott Leggat is Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy at Inhabit, bringing 26 years of experience in the vacation rental industry. His career has included managing some of the largest vacation rental companies on North Carolina's Outer Banks, as well as experience as a vacation homeowner, operator, technology leader, and supplier. Scott has served as Chairman of both the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce and Outer Banks Tourism Bureau, Past-President of the North Carolina VRMA, and a member of the VRMA Board of Directors. His industry work has focused on advocacy, standardized data and analytics, membership growth, and professionalization.
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👉 Fame Host - https://bit.ly/hwg-podcast
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👉 RSS - https://feeds.fame.so/the-vacation-rental-show
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Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Sofia Rossato of Inhabit, and many more.
Check out the three most downloaded episodes:
- Vacation Rental Stories: Episode 63 - Driving Innovation and Partnership
- Homeowners Become Family with Michael Godfrey, Owner of Michael’s Vacation Rentals
- Life in Maui as a Property Manager with Scott Jordan, Owner of Maui Life Realty
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