Last year’s deadly Maui wildfire revealed the extent of short-term rentals and their contribution to the state’s housing shortage
Hawaii lawmakers have voted to put limits on short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. On Friday, the governor, Josh Green, signed a bill that would give counties the power to regulate short-term rentals and even phase them out to become long-term housing for local residents.
The move on short-term rentals was one of several legislative decisions to come out of Friday’s meeting of the state legislature. It also appropriated $1bn to go toward the ongoing recovery from the Lahaina fire on 8 August, including more than $120m in rental assistance for people who are ineligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and $500m for emergency housing for residents who remain displaced, according to ABC News.
Vacation rentals were a well meaning idea that went completely off the rails.
Truly. It’s a bit bittersweet of news. To get the obvious out of the way, I fully support reclaiming housing for locals. They’ve had a tough go. Having housing gobbled up for private business is problematic everywhere, but especially on these lil island nations where tourism is huge. Gotta respect the locals!
Bittersweet, I was also in Maui earlier this year, at an Airbnb. It was a vibe. I always enjoy being able to live a bit more like a local when I travel. Usually nicer habitat than a hotel room. Having a kitchen while vacationing is so nice! Very easy to only eat restaurant food the entire time otherwise. Hotels and resorts bring a certain sort, and it’s nice being able to avoid that crowd sometimes too.
Hawaii is especially precarious because a huge part of their economy is tourism. On multiple occasions we were told “thank you for being here.” At the time, tourism was back up to about a 1/3rd its usual. Hit a boat tour that accommodates 45, with 15 of us on there. People in the industry need more butts in seats.
Ultimately, if I need to hit a hotel next time to ensure locals are able to live easier, so be it. Easy choice. I will miss the perks of catching a flat or condo tho.
I agree. I love the ability to rent something away from the tourist areas that isn’t a hallway full of slamming doors and cleaning staff. But it’s hell on the housing market.
Maybe a limited amount of permits with a regulated price/quality, and the demand will quickly limit the bookings. I’d rather wait a year or two for my preferred accomodation than stay in the usual suspects.
Tourism is a double edged sword. It’s nice to get free money from outside, but once the corpos get involved, the local economic benefit fades quickly.
Yep. Hawaii has the upper hand as it’s an extremely desirable vacation destination and they should regulate the hell out of this. Good for them.