HomeMy WebLinkAbout031825 - Public Hearing comments on STR regulationsALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear County Commissioners,
We strongly support regulating Short Term Rentals in Jefferson County, but feel Planning Commission recommendations do not go far enough. In order to limit the conversion of family homes
to STRs, discourage the purchase of second homes, reduce money flowing out of our county, and allow for an equitable rotation of permits, I support the following recommendations outlined
by HSN:
Cap the number of Short Term Rentals (STRs) to 2% of the County’s Housing Units.
Limit one STR per homeowner
Require the homeowner to reside on premise for at least 6 months out of the year.
Set expiration dates on STR permits.
Use platform-based enforcements and require short term vacation rental platforms, like Airbnb, VRBO to register with the County in order to operate. However, do not count on Airbnb
to comply or be responsible for enforcing any county/city requirements. They count of jurisdictions not having enforcement staff. It has only gotten worse over time. There are many
current and former host community platforms around the world that have complained about how Airbnb’s lack of consideration for local requirements have ruined small communities over
time. This was a big complaint in the Scottish Highlands from hosts when we were traveling there in 2023.
We have lived in our home since 1987 and have operated a licensed short-term rental in the city since 2010 - a few years before Airbnb came to town. We were/are happy that the city already
had strict requirements for their short-term permits as we want what is best for our neighborhood community. This is our primary residence. We set up our rental to earn some extra
dollars to help pay our escalating property taxes. I know first hand there are many unlicensed Airbnb listings within the city limits. You can randomly glance through the Airbnb
offerings and see from the pictures which ones are not meeting the city’s strict short-term permit requirements (e.g., have full kitchens featured, etc.). Many listings do not show
a license number on their listing even though this is a city requirement. Airbnb actively pushes hosts to lobby against any regulations. And while Airbnb collects B&O tax from each
of our renters, they submit a lump sum to the state without identifying which host they are collecting the money from as they don’t want to be seen as policing unlicensed rentals.
According to the person I spoke with at the State Dept of Revenue, this is the deal they struck with Airbnb.
Regards,
Debra Bouchard and James Roberts
419 Lawrence Street
Port Townsend, WA
98368