Hawaiʻi weighs measures to curb Airbnb

Proponents of greater regulation say the spike in short-term rentals, particularly on Oʻahu where the bulk of the population lives, is squeezing local residents out of an already tight and expensive housing market as well as creating congestion in residential neighborhoods. They say the situation is similar to that in a plethora of destinations from San Francisco to Barcelona, where regulatory measures on short-term rentals have already been enacted.

“We have the highest cost of living in the U.S. and our residents are leaving in droves—and part of the problem is the proliferation of illegal vacation rentals,” Victor Geminiani, executive director of Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, a nonprofit group advocating for the regulatory measures, told Skift. “So much of our housing is being sucked up by speculators who are buying houses not to live in them or to rent them for the long term, but for short-term rentals.”

Two measures are currently before the Honolulu City Council, where a vote is expected to take place on May 8. Bill 85 focuses on creating tougher enforcement mechanisms, including giving citizens the right to go to court and prompt the city to take action against a neighbor operating an illegal short-term rental. The bill is supported by neighborhood groups, housing advocacy groups, and UNITE HERE! Local 5, which represents hotel workers.

The other measure, Bill 89, makes it easier for homeowners to offer bed-and-breakfast accommodations in homes where they live but would crack down on so-called “transient vacation rentals” or TVUs, which are entire homes rented out by owners not living on-site.