Vacation Rentals In Our Neighborhoods?

This seems to be a hot topic of discussion throughout San Diego. Serving on the San Diego Association of Realtor’s Government Affairs Committee, I have the ability to witness panel discussions regarding this controversial issue. While San Diego has long since been a vacation destination, it seems that with the advent of the internet, came ease of access directly between vacationers and property owners, looking for a win-win and a more cost effective and often more comfortable means of enjoying a City.

Many local volunteer community organizations are against these short term rentals as they state that it is disruptive to the regular patterns of their neighborhoods, they create a noise nuisance, and if you happen to live immediately next door to one, you never know who your neighbor is and how long they will be there (and is it even safe to let my kids play outside on the street in these conditions?). I can’t argue these points, however there is a push to ban short term rentals all together, which I don’t find realistic.

The representatives for companies such as VRBO, AirBnB, and other local companies that manage vacation rentals have proposed solutions that seem to address many of these issues, and then some. More controlled regulation regarding the renters’ stay, including a uniform policy statement is one. Imposing significant and tier-level fines on homeowners and renters alike is another. Require permits for the homeowners operating these rentals as businesses, with the possibility of not receiving said permit if fined more than 3 times. Perhaps the permits and the fines can serve as revenue resources to sustain the enforcement of the above. These seem viable solutions if we can get the City behind this and actually enforce any new policies put in place.

I know of several vacation rentals throughout both Kensington and Talmadge that have been around for quite some time. I can recall the first one (I became aware of) in Talmadge that started off with very distraught neighbors, suffering from party noise and overall obnoxious behaviors from the tenants. Fortunately, the homeowners were quite receptive and paid very close attention to the behaviors of their vacation renters. They have operated without incident for several years now and appear no longer to be the distasteful source of discussion. That said, if you were buying a home, how would it make you react to discover that the neighboring home operates full time as a vacation rental?

I have my thoughts and opinions about vacation rentals, and would welcome feedback from you via my Facebook page at Megan Beauvais Real Estate. The bottom line is that I do not believe vacation rentals are going away. We need to find a viable solution that wholeheartedly addresses the concerns of the full time residents while not infringing upon the rights of benefiting from one’s property.