For others, particularly local residents, short-term rentals are less of a boon and more of a burden. In many areas with a large number of short-term rentals, year-round neighbors complain of the influx of extra cars, late-night noise, and an overall change in the neighborhood dynamic. The character of the neighborhood changes when people treat houses like hotels instead of homes.
When homeowners rent out a home for weeks at a time, they effectively take that home out of the standard housing market, since that home is no longer available for sale or as a year-round rental. The total number of houses available to long-term residents decreases as the number of short-term rentals increases.
Research shows that this is exactly what is happening right now in cities across America and abroad. One study published by the Social Science Research Network found that home-sharing networks such as Airbnb decrease the amount of long-term rental units, lead to an increase in the price of long-term rentals, and lead to an increase in the price of homes for sale.
There is a financial disparity between the people who keep vacation destinations running and the people vacationing there, but the housing crunch is making that disparity even greater. As mentioned, many resort workers struggle to find affordable housing, and some fail. Alex Borchevsky, who owns two restaurants in Moab, Utah, tells Utah Business that he estimates between 15 and 20 percent of his employees are either living in vans or camping. They simply cannot find a permanent residence. The housing crisis is exacerbated as more long-term rentals become short-term rentals.
For us, here we are in the State of Washington where we have dozens of scenic and vacation towns across the state -- is there anything we can do?
Politicians, government officials, and community leaders should address these issues. They have an obligation to advocate for all their constituents, which means balancing the needs and desires of year-round residents, property owners, and the state as a whole. They must think about land use, development, affordability, and more. Resort communities lose their character if they become overdeveloped, but they also need workers to function, and those workers need a place to live.
Some business owners have solutions of their own. Laura Borchevsky, Alex’s wife, suggests that business owners who can afford to do so should provide housing as part of the compensation packages they offer to employees. Along that line, resort owners in Telluride and Aspen have converted existing apartments or built new developments specifically for workers.
Shelby Rongstad, mayor of Sandpoint, Idaho, and current gubernatorial candidate, instituted a short-term rental ordinance in Sandpoint in 2017. This ordinance limits the number of short-term rentals in residential areas to 35, although commercial areas can have more.
He argues that this solution works best for all parties: long-term residents do not have to put up with the hassle of having vacationers in their neighborhoods, while commercial areas with restaurants and shops can absorb their impact and increased spending.
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