What you need to know. Thousands of Hawaii vacation rentals in jeopardy.
66 thoughts on “New Bills Passed | Honolulu Hawaii Vacation Rentals to Be Slashed”
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Unfortunately I agree this is really about crony capitalism. I get there may be a need for some regulation, but this is about the hotel industry influencing politics. Although a brief reprieve, vacation hotels are a dying industry. Rather than adapt and overcome, they will go down fighting dirty and finally die. The real tragedy is for Hawaii, this is going to hurt tourism in the long run. I have been planning to take a full extended family vacation to Hawaii in the next couple of years. Financially if we had access to a home where we could house 7-9 people, make a home cooked meal occasionally and keep some groceries in the the frige it was doable. To rent hotels for 7-9 people, and eat out every night it just became out of reach. Guess I’ll start looking for other destinations.
Aloha!
Thank you for keeping us current on the ever changing landscape for those of us who are only able to visit Hawaii, rather than live there. In reading thru the recently passed ordnances, it looks as if our stays continue to be 30 days or greater than the STVR rules do not apply ? I can certainly understand the desires to bring back quality of life to the local neighborhoods. Mahalo for your feedback !
Hi Al.
Thank you. Yes, that’s how we read it as well. At least for now. 🙂
Aloha.
Short term vacation rentals are an amazing concept! What I love is drying in REAL neighborhoods and getting to meet local residents and make real friendships.
Staying in Waikiki at a hotel with hundreds of other tourists, going shopping and the beach with thousands of other tourists…not my idea of experiencing the local life. Now I suppose there might be some really cool locals working at the hotel you could get to know, but not so much in reality- yeah? Just not likely to happen…because you met at the hotel with hundreds of other tourists, and they see thousands and thousands every day. It’s a way to make ends meet, not meet people.
Staying outside the tourists zones, you get to ship local and drive local and eat and mix with locals. And you never know- maybe someone you meet will invite you to come back for a visit.
Can’t help but feel this is about hotel dollars and influence, not what is best for Hawaii. And as far as “overcrowding”…I’ve heard that for decades and just laugh. Umm…it’s an ISLAND you know! And it’s a beautiful place to live and visit. So it’s gonna get crowded regardless of banning short term rentals.
Missing the boat Hawaii. Just like the millions and millions of dollars being spent in Las Vegas because Hawaii won’t allow casinos in the state. This kind of “not in my back yard” thinking is only placating those who can’t see clearly.
Well said. The hotel rates will surely increase which will deter tourism for many people. Airfare is not cheap. Now, add higher hotel prices. Not a smart decision. Your are right about casinos…that would bring in mega bucks for the island.
This is terrible news. Big business buys off the politicians once again. The correct course of action would be to enact laws which regulate the vacation rentals with specified penalties for violations. This would prevent incompetent hosts from ruining neighborhoods, and preserve property rights at the same time. Instead, Hawaii just made the hoteliers even richer via “crony capitalism.” As a visitor to Hawaii, I am absolutely bummed that HI just severely restricted my options.
I think this is good for Hawaii, good for locals and good for visitors. It is not good for non resident investors. It will take time to stabilize but many States and Cities are finding that air BnB and others unregulated only really benefit Air BnB and their investors.
When will this go into affect? Does it affect rentals on the windward side also? I have a booking in 2020 at an abnb in Laie and was curious if this will affect it. Does the bill affect Maui also?
There are more long term rentals in Kailua than ever before, currently 286 according to Craigslist. Doing away with short term rentals will actually make it worse as most of our businesses, which thrive on the short term rentals, will cease to exist, making Kailua a less desirable place to live.
I’m from Kailua and I beg to differ. It’s become overpopulated and crowded. Kailua is a lazy town and that’s it’s appeal. My family has survived, and in fact, are very happy about the changes because of the disruption these short term rentals have done to our street. We can barely park our car, people park in our driveway and leave their litter all over the place. It’s disgusting how our little town has been bombarded. there needs to be a limit. We reached it long ago.
Kailua has been my preferred place to stay when visiting Oahu, and I would be quite sad if that weren’t possible anymore. I understand from a permanent resident’s perspective that STRs can become a nuisance, but don’t you think a balance can be achieved vs an outright ban in non-resort areas?
Back in the late 80’s, an informal study was done, which showed that the average stay on Oahu was for 3 days and then the visitors went to other islands. Now, the average stay on Oahu is for 7+ days. If alternative accommodations are no longer available, then Oahu will lose a huge portion of its tourist industry.
Absolutely. Plus I prefer to stay at Vacation Rentals outside tourist/resort areas. The North side of Oahu will now be too expensive for me with the rates any hotels charge😢
I visit a relative whose own accommodation is tiny ohana housing where she is caretaker. If there are not friends willing or able to share their places, then it is necessary to use air bnb for short term stays. Even the locals who own property need to find ways to make extra income and should not be denied the chance to do so. As a budget traveller I have had the best stays in local homes. They’ve enriched the Hawaii experience far more than any hotel would. I understand the problem of long term rentals vs. short ones, but not everybody who owns a condo and lives on the mainland can afford to spend all their time in the islands. It’s a dilemma for sure.
The whole point of BnB is to HOST someone in your home. That is not going away, anyone can host someone in their home and still make money. It’s those who abuse the system and treat airbnb like a rental portal, which wasn’t the original intention.
I am fairly low income. I am a caregiver for my mother and once a year my brother take over for me so I am able to get away for some much needed respite. If I needed to stay in a hotel, I wouldn’t be able to afford to go. I usually go with my daughter and grandchildren, so we rent a condo, split expenses and have at least one or two meals a day at the condo. We have a great, family time that hotel rooms don’t provide.
What about the rights of property owners who may have scrimped and saved to purchase a property for rental income? Shouldn’t they be able to rent in a fashion that maximizes their income? It is easy to think that short term rentals are being managed by some faceless investor on the mainland, but it could just as well be your aunties retirement fund. Keep making the islands less and less friendly, more and more expensive, and mainland visitors will take their visits and dollars to the Caribbean and central America which are often closer and have cheaper flights.
Fran – In response to Dave “It is easy to think that short term rentals are being managed by some faceless investor on the mainland, but it could just as well be your aunties retirement fund” In my experience both are true. I don’t know how it can be done but I think there should be a way to distinguish between, and assess lodgers-type-taxes, accordingly. ‘Short-term rental’ offers by an individual homeowner trying to pay the electric is not equivalent to an investor who has bought up real-estate for the express purpose of renting out multiple units.
This is a slippery slope. What happens when your Auntie moves to the mainland to be close to her sister? Does you Auntie then become a faceless mainland investor? What happens when your Auntie’s sister dies, and leave your Auntie another property in Hawaii? What if through inheritance, she accumulates half a dozen properties, but she uses the income to put her nieces and nephews through college? Your suggestion would lead to some sort of process where landlords must be judged on the worthiness of their needs before deciding what they are allowed to do with their property.