Our local City Council has been dealing with what to do with Vacation Rentals (VHR) in residential neighborhoods, for the better part of two years (if not longer).
Yesterday (October 3, 2017) they came up with a quasi final version to appease local residents who were about to put a total VHR ban on a future ballot measure.
In short strokes;
- A cap of VHR’s will be considered (Our number will hoover around 1,350)
Existing permits and those currently pending will all be allowed to continue to operate. If a property sells the permit will expire, reducing the VHR’s to 1,350. After that a waiting list picks up any openings. - A distance restriction of 150 feet from any existing VHR
If there is another VHR within that range, don’t even bother applying. You’ll never get a permit. - Three police calls and your VHR license is revoked
- No hot tubbing, outside activities from 10:00pm to 7:00am
- Parking spaces on asphalt surface only
- (Local) Bear boxes for all VHR’s (Yes we do have Bears in South Lake Tahoe)
- If VHR permit is not substantially used it will be revoked
Some residents might just get a permit, not use it as a VHR, thus protecting their 150 feet radius from any VHR coming to their neighborhood. How many nights a permit needs to be used and at what average rate is to be determined. - Mandatory in person welcome as guest arrive.
This might end up being loosened up to include electronic welcome etc. - $1,000 fine for infractions (potentially both to the Guest AND Owners)
- Local contact must be reachable within 20 minutes
That’s about the nuts of what’s going on. Actually the VHR community is not totally against these rules. In the end we operators want our Guests to enjoy our rentals, BUT behave more like respectful guests and not rowdy vacationers (Bachelorette parties etc). As in any community we have a few ‘bad’ apples and these rules will assist in weeding them out. For the rest of us, who already are trying to operate respectful, quite and neighborhood friendly VHR’s, these rules are easily manageable.
I am posting this as so many communities are struggling with the same question of how to manage and how to handle Vacation Rentals ‘businesses’ in residential areas. I believe that after many meetings, subcommittees and countless hours at council hearings, that South Lake Tahoe may have started paving the road to success.
Feel free to contact me for full details of our ordinance or just visit the South Lake Tahoe city website.