Originally posted by @David M Trapani:
Government has no place regulating private property unless it is causing a legitimate and proven nuisance. Nuisance would include things limited to noise, traffic, trash and crime. Again, there must be hard evidence. Not news stories by media with a political bent, false wolf-crying nimbies or other fraud by people exaggerating a problem that doesn't really exist. Government has no business telling private property owners who may stay, for how long or for how much. That's why it's private property. Property owners work extremely hard to save the down payments, locate, analyze, acquire & operate their investment properties. They already pay the government property tax, income tax, capital gains tax, business license tax, sales tax, etc. ad naseum. Government should not regulate property unless it causes a legitimate nuisance. Government is not a nanny fascist controller of any "housing supply". Governments have laws telling them to build affordable housing. If government fails to do so (which they often fail to do) it is inappropriate illegal and unconstitutional to blame investment property owners & to seek to tax and regulate those private property owners to protect the "housing supply". Not the job of government. If we want to live like Communist China, North Korea, Russia or other similar countries (Just look at Venezuela and Cuba and see what happens) then the government can seize private property and socialism / communism will take root. Government should never interfere with private property ownership absent true nuisance situations.
Originally posted by @Alex S.:
Thank you @David M Trapani!
Private property rights are an individual freedom...which is the only kind of freedom there is!
When you live in a neighborhood, you do not own the lot next to you. If you want to be undisturbed, move out into the country. If STR guests violate the law (trespassing, noise violation, etc)...call the police.
Capitalism is a beautiful thing...it will work itself out. For example, in Gardiner, MT, housing is exorbitant! It is a vacation launching spot to western Yellowstone National Park. The STR hosts there can't find labor, so you know what they do...THEY PROVIDE THEIR OWN WORKERS HOUSING! IF there is demand for STRs, the market will adjust to make sure the right number of laborers can live there.
I mean, I agree in principal and nothing irks me more than not being able to do something I want to do on my own land, but I'm wondering how exactly the two of you would see this playing out in practice. The neighborhoods you describe only even exist in the first place because of zoning laws. Otherwise someone could build a landfill or a loud warehouse nextdoor to you and tank your property value by 80%, which would leave some people in financial ruin.
The reality with STRs is our entire business model is based on a loophole. We often operate in residentially zoned areas with residential financing even though we are clearly operating a commercial business. Don't get me wrong I am happy to ride that wave for as long as it lasts and hopefully it will be forever, but the reality is that is what it is for most of us.
Of course in my experience with council/zoning meetings the irony of this kind of thing is that it is often the "don't tread on me" types that are in favor of STR restrictions because the idea of a "transient" population in their living area terrifies them.
