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SHORT-TERM RENTALS: A GROWING
PEST?
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
June 23, 2017
Let’s make no mistake: Community associations were not
necessarily built with the intention to create short-term
rentals. They were built to house families – or in Florida –
snowbirds, but not weekend rentals to accommodate some wild
party-goers!
The complaints about short-term rentals in community
associations are piling up, especially since companies like
Airbnb are promoting these types of rentals. Even the Florida
legislature dealt with this issue – but the bill (H 425 –
Vacation Rentals) “Died on Calendar”. Please see as well the
article: "Airbnb
regulations: Local governments know best”.
The argument about these “vacation rentals” is going on since
quite some years.
Some folks use it to create some extra income, some others have
figured out that it’s a splendid way to make “real” money.
But normally the neighbors object. Imagine your neighbors rents out
his 3-bedroom home to a wild-party crowd of twenty (20) with
fifteen cars parked all over the neighborhood. Wouldn’t you go
crazy if you bought a home in a nice quiet neighborhood trying
to enjoy your retirement?
I have heard many such complaints from folks totally upset about
their short-term “neighbors.
And the dream of some “extra” income can quickly backfire. Ask an
owner in an HOA in Orlando who (most likely not on purpose)
rented her home over the weekend to some guys who organize
parties. The advertising on Facebook and Twitter attracted about
400 people who more or less “destroyed” the neighborhood. The
owner was asked by the HOA to pay for the damage. I can assure
you: The damage by far exceeded the rental income.
Your deed-restrictions may yet not have rental-restrictions. But I
know that quite a few boards are working on ways to restrict
short-term rentals. But beware of “wild” renters who don’t care
about the association rules. Most associations have “nuisance
rules in their governing documents – and these provisions could
be used against you in a law-suit – if your short-term renters
are too “wild!”
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Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice,
Florida
's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group.
CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in
community
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associations. He moved to
Florida
in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the
developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues
for his own purposes. End of retirement!
CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in
Tallahassee
- finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a
member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.
The organization has two websites to inform interested
Florida
homeowners and condo owners:
News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.
Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all
service providers surely have a different interest! We are
trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are
useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking
in
Florida
!
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