In anticipation of upcoming City Council discussions on short-term rental regulations, the Short Term Rental Advocacy Center (STRAC), a coalition of short-term rental companies, owners/hosts and short-term rental advocates, sent Mayor Clinton and members of the council a letter outlining the importance of short-term rentals to our communities and how vital it is that the city enact smart, reasonable, affordable, and easy to comply with regulations on short-term rental owners and providers.
Presented by Philip J. Minardi, spokesperson for The Short Term Rental Advocacy Center.
pminardi@stradvocacy.org
November 03, 2014
City of Bend
710 NW Wall Street
Bend, OR 97701
Dear City Council Members:
The Short Term Rental Advocacy Center (STRAC), a group made up of short-term rental companies, owners/hosts and others who support short-term rentals, writes today to express its support for a fair and reasonable set of regulations under which short-term rentals in the city of Bend can be governed.
As Bend grows in popularity and increasingly becomes a destination of choice for travelers from all walks of life, so too does the demand for unique and affordable accommodations in the form of short-term rentals. Given the city’s beautiful setting and popularity among travelers, the Bend City Council has a tremendous opportunity to develop and implement short-term rental regulations that will benefit everyone-travelers, owners, operators, hosts, local businesses and city taxpayers.
STRAC applauds the city for taking the initiative to assemble a task force of stakeholder in order to further explore the short-term rental industry, its benefits to Bend, and how to best proceed with smart and reasonable short-term rental regulation. STRAC agrees that short-term rentals should be regulated and taxed, and that owners, property managers or hosts should be required to register their property and pay the applicable taxes. However, regulations and requirements for registration and taxation must be reasonable, affordable, and easy to interpret so that Bend residents who are interested in renting their property can understand and comply with the regulations. Expensive, onerous, and complicated registration and taxation schemes will only be a deterrent to compliance. Making the process easy and affordable will result in greater compliance and ultimately greater economic benefits to the city.
Additionally, any short-term rental regulations should apply to all short-term rentals. To limit or omit any segment of the short-term rental market, only serves to dilute the valuable economic impact of this industry. By opening short-term rentals up to anyone willing to comply with a reasonable and fair set of regulations, Bend can ensure travelers, the city of Bend, the local tourism economy and owners can all benefit from the significant economic opportunity that all short-term rentals offer.
At present, Bend derives a very real economic benefit from the presence of short-term rentals, and the travelers who occupy them. Numerous studies have shown that those in short term rentals have both a tendency to stay longer and spend more money in the places they visit compared to hotel stays. Quite simply, it is the difference between living like a local and just visiting. Burdening short-term rental hosts or owners by setting up complicated compliance regulations or limiting the short-term rental market will unnecessarily drive many short-term renters underground.
STRAC is concerned that certain aspects of the proposed short-term rental ordinance will adversely impact the ability for the greater Bend region to benefit from the economic opportunities provided by short-term rentals. Cities across America who have embraced short-term rentals are realizing the economic benefits of giving tourists and travelers more options to visit and enjoy all that their cities have to offer. We urge you to follow their lead and craft regulations that support short-term rentals in Bend for the benefit of all.
STRAC would welcome the opportunity to discuss short-term rental regulation with you and your staff, as well as any other issues that impact the travel technology industry.
Sincerely,
Matthew Kiessling
Executive Director
(202)503-1421
www.stradvocacy.org
