Setting the Gold Standard for Being a Good Neighbor and Local Advocacy

A good question to start with is: “what does the gold standard for local advocacy look like?” 

The answer is different depending on where you live. Each city is facing a unique set of circumstances. 

In areas of the country where regulation changes are impacting short term and vacation rentals, organizations like Rent Responsibly and the Vacation Rental Management Association, as well as local associations, are providing resources around education and communication. 

With everything that professional managers are already doing, adding yet another task of local advocacy to their plate can feel overwhelming. Many managers are not sure where to start, much less how to set the bar in their community. 

Rent Responsibly breaks it down into easy to understand pieces with their Good Neighbor Guide, which provides ideas on communicating about the three most common problems: parking, trash, and noise. But before the discussion gets there, communication around proactive leadership in the community can set a positive tone. 

Here are a few ways leaders in the vacation rental industry are taking on these challenges and opportunities. 

Show Up

Being a good neighbor can start with something as simple as helping folks get out the snow. Co-owners of Stowe Resort Homes, Tom and Missy Merrell are working to prevent traffic issues from out of town guests who don’t know they need to use snow tires. These proactive efforts include working with local rental car companies because sometimes prevention is part of the cure. They are not just helping someone who is stuck in the snow, but looking out for their guests before it happens. 

Sibylle Kim, a single property owner in Vermont who joined the Vermont Short Term Rental Alliance as a community organizer, feels strongly about preventing errors. She hired a lobbyist through funding efforts through their alliance. The result? An important bill, which would have discouraged property owners from renting out their units, was vetoed giving them a huge win in their area. 

“I show up, I raise my hand,” said Sibylle, on the Sarah and T. Podcast, “I do have a very strong feeling around preventing folks from messing it up for others.” 

In their newly released podcast episode 143, Sarah Bradford and Tim Cafferty discuss the benefits of being involved in the vacation rental industry and local community head on. They acknowledge the initial challenge of showing up for the first time, and how awkward it might feel. But Sarah has literally calculated the benefits of showing up and, for her, it’s equal to hundreds of thousands of dollars. And Tim has become his area’s go-to source for local problem solving. 

“I had two different people come and see me about issues that are going on in the community,” says Tim. “I know it’s because I’m the chairman of the tourism board, but it was really cool that my involvement brought two community leaders to me to get my opinions.”

One of the best things vacation rental professionals can do is be a part of a local short-term or vacation rental alliance, advises Alexa Nota, Co-Founder and COO of Rent Responsibly. “Whether you help start an alliance from scratch or you (or one of your staff members) volunteers as a leader with an existing group, being a part of an organization will help you and the broader vacation rental community go ten times as far.”

Rent Responsibly has guides and recordings to help you get started in advocacy and alliances in their Alliance Resource Library. 

Ask For Help

“It’s difficult to figure out how each city operates,” says Sharon Walker of Walker Luxury Vacation Homes, in her Unlocked podcast interview with Matt Landau. “We are asking for helping putting limitations on occupancy. We’re asking for some kind of state wide limitation on outlawing vacation rentals all together.” 

She’s positioning her requests as property rights issues and is hoping Texas will move forward in her favor, which will have a wide-reaching impact.  While Sharon wishes she would have started her involvement ten years sooner, she’s glad she’s involved now. The implications of her time investment will benefit more than just her company, which currently manages approximately 30 properties in the Austin area. 

Brian Olson, owner of Beachcomber Vacation Homes, sits on a short-term rental task force in the city of Cannon Beach. He is also a member of the city council and has been working on getting them to understand a little bit more about his business model. As if that is not enough, he is also the president of a group called Everyone for the North Oregon Coast. There is a ballot measure they are fighting that would overturn a county ordinance allowing for short-term rentals. By forming a group, they are able to show strong representation. 

Be Proactive and Reactive

Paul Becker, owner of Bluewater Vacation Rentals in San Diego, CA, is not afraid to get granular in his approach to property management. He knows he’s not just managing a property, but relationships with those who live around it. When interviewing a homeowner during the acquisition process, they document any potential issues next door. They know who might be concerned about parking, noise and trash and have a way to contact that person in their records. 

“Verify, then promptly act on, any complaints to prove our commitment to the neighborhood,” Paul explains. “Review any actions taken and if anything needs to be documented or followed up.” He also suggests subscribing to Next Door, which is a neighborhood listserv and social app with discussions generated by residents, to keep informed and ahead of issues.

“Attend neighborhood town council meetings to stay informed and stand up for good actors in the short-term rental community,” Paul added. “Get ahead of any potential issues.”

Brian agrees. He hopes to educate decision makers about the differences in rentals and the regulations for each type. “I hope to get people to understand that the short-term rentals provide an economic engine to the community. We employ over 35 people that's 35 families that depend on the economics of short-term rentals to support their families.”

It’s his wish, and the wish of others in similar situations, that there could be an understanding that smart regulation can be fair and a win-win for everybody.

For more resources, connect with other vacation rental professionals on LinkedIn and visit https://www.vrmaadvocate.org/Resources.