Big Island Attempts To Curb Short-Term Rentals …Two County Council members say their proposed legislation is aimed at helping to ease Hawaii island’s housing crisis for residents.
A move is underway on the Big Island to bring more vacation rentals under county oversight and to limit the number of new units.
Hawaii County Council members Heather Kimball and Ashley Kierkiewicz are sponsoring legislation that would require hosted vacation rentals to register with the county, similar to laws regulating “unhosted” short-term vacation rentals. A hosted transient rental is considered a property where an owner or manager lives on-site, and the unit is rented to an individual or group for less than 180 days.
One of the goals is to curb the growing number of vacation rentals which the sponsors say is reducing long-term housing stock for residents and increasing housing costs and rents.
The draft ordinance is stirring up strong public interest as evidenced by the hundreds of people who signed up for a webinar about it on Nov. 21.
If the bill is ultimately adopted, transient rental operators would have to pay an initial registration fee and an annual renewal fee and comply with a host of rules. Some of the rules relate to on-site parking, the submission of site and floor plans, contact information for all registered property owners and managers, notification to surrounding properties and more.
