Council to consider regulating vacation rentals

[Seeb]

This thing is so blatantly a real estate scam

[kalakoa]

so blatantly a real estate scam

Scams (sometimes under color of "government") are the only local industry we have.

[dan d]

They just passed it onto the main council. The only council rep voted against it was our
EILEEN OHARA. And guess who wasnt there?


HPP

[LazyLehua]

Yeah, many rentals will now be illegal to operate under the new rules - not on AG land, not in a un-permitted dwelling, etc. Many will need to close or operate under the radar. Don't think how many of them realize how many locals the rentals employ. They will only find out when their unemployment rate goes up. Fairly confident that the hotel industry is behind this.

Stacey
Living the life in Cali and Hawai‘i

[My 2 cents]

"Fairly confident that the hotel industry is behind this."

Do the hotels have enough rooms to make up for all the vacation rentals that will be shut down? The tourists will go elsewhere if they can't get a room here. Just a (another) malicious assault on our tourism industry.

[KeaauRich]

quote:

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Originally posted by My 2 cents

"Fairly confident that the hotel industry is behind this."

Do the hotels have enough rooms to make up for all the vacation rentals that will be shut down? The tourists will go elsewhere if they can't get a room here. Just a (another) malicious assault on our tourism industry.

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It's not just a question of room availability, it's also affordability. When we ran our vacation rental, we sometimes had families of four staying in our one-bedroom-plus-futon cottage for $79/night. When you consider what a hotel would charge to sleep four, then add in resort fees and the price of meals eaten in restaurants (versus prepared in the cottage's kitchen), the new regulations limiting vacation rental availability will price many vacationers out of the market.

[kalakoa]

It's not just a question of room availability, it's also affordability.

There's also the whole "quality of experience" angle: resorts are all basically the same, if that's what you really want there's probably one within driving distance, no need for the nudie scanner and public groping on the way to your no-legroom seat in cattle class.

Prospective residents sometimes stay in a vacation rental as a "try before you buy", I guess those people can just buy a house somewhere else instead of becoming part of our crappy economy. Restrictive regulations might be doing them a huge favor.

[LazyLehua]

Kalakoa - We did the “try before you buy” on Oahu, Kauai and Big Island and even stayed at our current home prior to purchasing it. Vacation rentals are far cheaper than a hotel in Kona or in Hilo. Guests also like the experience of being “on their own” and not cramped into elevators or hearing the people in the room next door. I am lucky as our rental will meet all the requirements in the Bill to remain a vacation rental but hundreds of rentals are not in the same position.

Stacey
Living the life in Cali and Hawai‘i

[HI_Someday]

We've stayed in a hotel in Hilo our first trip (Naniloa) and VRBO our last trip (Hilo and Honokaa). The main reasons we stayed VRBO was 1) a kitchen where we can cook and have a decent size refrigerator, 2) washer/dryer for clothes and 3) space/privacy. I suspect a lot of people like these things when traveling. Clearly there's a demand; a vacuum that traditional business, with few exceptions, aren't filling, so it's being filled by other means.

[Seeb]

The hotel industry was nothing to do with it, their competition is other beach destinations.
This is straight up price fixing. A house you can vacation rent is worth more. If you can make it that can only VRBO the property’s you’re holding it makes them worth a lot more.