From: Kathryn Levassiur
To: [email protected]
Subject: STR Study Session
Date: Friday, July 12, 2024 8:48:15 AM
Attachments: Logo for Apple Email.png
Dear Mayor Van Der Mark and HB City council members,
Re: STR Study Session - Comments on slide, "Update Considerations" Enhanced online portal: As point of contact for HB STR Alliance and the Airbnb Community Leader for Huntington Beach/Sunset Beach, many hosts have reached out to me about navigating the city’s complex STR permit process. They are left angry and frustrated at the end of the process. Then the whole process and fee amount starts all over again in a few short months to get a new permit well before the current one expires. The city does not send reminder notices to renew permits, leaving it up to the hosts to remember and some hosts in Sunset Beach have lost the opportunity to renew their permits because the renewal window slipped past them. How does the current process honor the annex MOU? Active reporting: How to enforce reporting requirements? The smart approach would be to require all
STR booking platforms to collect TOT/TBID from all booking transactions of 30 nights or less and remit all taxes to the director’s designation. Council could require hosts to submit online monthly reports that include property address, nights booked, revenue to give detail to the payment sums from the platforms. The booking information is easily accessible to hosts and available online. The city and VHB will receive all tax revenue from transient stays
in HB/SB. Hosts find the STR permit process complicated, collecting TOT/TBID from guests and remitting those funds to the city is a big requirement that is an impossible task for some.
Cap on STRs: This is a smart and reasonable approach to allowing some unhosted STRs in HB proper, not just in Sunset. Unhosted STRs are the jewels of the city, that allow entire families to stay together under one roof and enjoy a home like settings during their stays here.
They are well maintained and are often the most beautiful home on the block.
Waitlist Process & Auditing: Why? Does this mean a waitlist beyond a permit cap limit? That’s reasonable. What is “auditing”? Isn’t that compliance.
Conclusion: I’m currently in the process of renewing my STR permit for a third time. The statistics have shown that STRs have little impact on the city’s resources and have a significant impact on generating year over year sustainable revenue for the city. It’s past time to expand the STR ordinance to include some unhosted STRs beyond Sunset Beach, into Huntington Beach. It’s key to have the expanded STR ordinance/program up and running smoothly before the economic opportunities of 2028 Olympics in LA begin to take shape. And with the expanded ordinance, require all online platforms to collect TOT/TBID from all transient booking transactions and remit all funds per the designation of the director. Make the permit process easier for hosts and allow whole home vacation rental property owners in HB to apply and qualify for STR permits. Please send courtesy renewal notices to existing permit holders. Make it easier for hosts to operate STRs and more profitable for the city to benefit from STR visitors to HB/SB. Short term rentals are good for local business.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Levassiur
Huntington Beach Short-Term Rental Alliance
Cell: 714.343.7931
Email: [email protected] |Website: https://www.hbstra.org/ 7/16/24
SS 1 (24-498)