We also live in a place that attracts lots of tourists, and our town also went through a freak out about short-term rentals. There were heated discussions in our local newspaper for months. The number of short-term rentals was eventually limited and required permits, and owners had to pay the city’s gross receipts tax on the rental incomes.
But when our HOA researched the issues to determine whether our development should impose even stricter limits on short-term rentals, all the myths about the negative effects were debunked.
Heavier traffic? No. If I rent my home to a vacationer and absent myself, there is no more traffic than there would be if I was the driver rather than the renter. Local studies also proved parking problems did not increase. Loud noise? Police had no records of an increase in “disturbance of the peace” calls involving short-term rentals, nor were there any specific complaints about noisy renters in our newspaper’s heated discussions. Increased use of resources? Maybe. If a family of five showers in my home every day that is certainly more water used than if I shower once. But the family of five would shower in a hotel and use that much water anyhow.
The main problem with short-term rentals is that it decreases the profitability of the hospitality industry.
We always stay in short-term rentals when we vacation. Breakfast at a nice hotel in Hawaii costs over $20 per person, lunch can cost the two of us at least $50, dinner over $100. As expensive as groceries are here, the cost of staying in a hotel and eating out is easily three to five times the cost of staying in an apartment and cooking most of our own food.
Judy Carr is a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico.