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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0675.037 2022-2024 From: Pat F Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 10:54 AM cam_ ' . To: Council Testimony Subject: Bill 121, STR Owner Testimonial N) -C Aloha County Council, -` � 7`LLa I was planning on being in person today and regret that last min plans will keep me from attencling, but I'd still like to share my experience for bill 121. I run an STR and have 100's of reviews of which 100% reviews on both Hipcamp and VRBO, and a 4.98 out of 5 on Airbnb. I am also a host that owns and resides at my STR Property, and have no additional properties other then this one. I live here with a small family of animals, and my partner of 15 years where we grow and eat alot of our food, and are in good standing with all our immediate neighbors who all know we run an STR with no issues in the last 3 years now. I'm writing with support of the limitations to made on the non-host-owner STR's. As my husband had a stroke 4 years ago and we have experienced first hand the limitations of medical professionals on this Island, I don't believe this limitation is 100%due to STR properties in residential areas impeding on professional residency, but it is statistically proven that Teachers, Doctors, even cooks and basic service industry jobs are hurt by an over saturation of STR's in what should otherwise be affordable living communities. As a 40y/o I feel blessed to have bought my first home at 27 to which I sold in moving here 9 years ago. I see now not just in Hawaii, but all over I have friends coming of age who are finding it harder to do so as the pandemic inparticular made remote work a reality for many who divested into travel,which Hawaii was a prime destination for many, so was Colorado, Florida, and other communities that are now troubled with similar issues.We have to be pragmatic and also realize that in the 1960's the WORLD population had just reached 3 billion, and in just a 1/2 century later we have more than doubled that number at 8 billion. So housing isn't just an STR issue, and addressing the way we ethically sell homes and live as communities is the real issue that should be addressed of which STR's could actually help if we focus on eco-tourism, as we teach tourists (who are often more privileged and in my observation wasteful) how we as Hawaii want to live more resourcefully. But this means we have to be resourceful ourselves. I hope you will consider that as the Host who owns our property and is present to greet every guest,We are very thorough with pono practice in everything we know and are still learning.We tell tourists who want to go to places like Narnia that these are protected water sheds and very delicate so please don't go.That Waipio Valley is just off limits unless you have arranged with someone from there but please travel up hamakua and stop at all the wonderful little towns, and go to the lookout, but no go down unless you have a reason.As a resident going on a decade I let them know I have not even ventured into these areas as they are constricted already for those who need them, or fragile. look at the turtles and monk seals from afar.We've had guests who have said their friend's suggested swimming in boiling pots, Comm. No J• 1 Ref. To: 2 E4211,11 Ref. Date ,.'AN to which I clearly state that is not just a no-no, it is dangerous! I used to take the local rides to greensand beach, but after reading the damage it is doing, I suggest travelers to support the local communities by eating or buying local near southpoint, but to walk the trek at southpoint now.We grow together as a community by being part of it, and I feel absent property owners, and hosts that are hosting for a free stay just don't get this, so I appreciate any blessing you have for Property-owner-present hosts of STR's. I will share that since my husband had his stroke our Island had only two speech therapists, and especially since the pandemic had hurt this speech recovery with all the masks, alot of his social development came from amazing guests just being present and talking in person, as the world is coming to Hawaii regardless so it helped beyond words, Literally. In turn we know we have helped open up pono practice with respect to the land not just here but guests sending up pictures of their garden project, and reusable paper rolls :)Almost every guest leaving saying how much they learned, and many share our homestead with others who then book as we have a few coming next month recommended from Canada and California. Other repeat guests that just like living more local, and some guests who are actually in the process of moving here which we were able to help them through alot of our failures and successes so their transitions were better than ours for sure! This brings me to the guests themselves who have been overwhelmingly wonderful... BUT as there are regulations being put on us the hosts, I would hope that tourism understands concerns should lay equally with the guests too, and the support hosts have from both the platforms that take the money and have the ability to help ethically drive this industry. Not to mention how many world travelers tell us how "laid back" our DOA is, and many of our agrarian travelers are not suprised we have so many invasive species as we are more concerned about who's visiting the Oahu Convention center, or riding the new rail line than if there are any fruits being brought in or mud on your shoes,This is a complaint for another council I'm sure, but guests are aware of our short coming here ...to the point of bad guests, our 2nd guest through Airbnb was a problem that became threatening, and we actually had to file a police report on them. It took TWO WEEKS for Airbnb to address this threatening safety concern even with documentation and a police report.As of last May we had a local resident and state licensed Realtor by the name of Charles Crittenden who deceptively accessed our home pretending to be a buyer, and once present solicited us to sell our home though VRBO was which the hosting platform was ZERO help in this situation. Even with the printed documentation through their own platform and our corroborated facts from the DCCA.We also presented this issue to their Realtor association which was on Maui as they have been targeting our island, and with physical documentation the complaints were dismissed with no explanation (I am currently addressint he the National Realtor Association).What good is a realtor association or any community association if they are not protecting home owners from the unethical practices of their Realtors. Realtors (unethical ones I should say more accurately) more so than STR's are the ones pushing prices of homes through the roof, and should be held just as accountable as any STR. We have to navigate 4 separate taxes,where most states streamline their process, it's almost more complicated than end of year taxes, LOL. One Platform we host on, MristerBandB refuses to collect the taxes all together for our county of Hawaii so it is technically a hidden fee we have to request of the guests personally,yet they collect that tax on Oahu!Why? I have made formal complaints about this platform.The support for Hotel chains is clearly present in Hawaii lobbying, but the support for home/host-owned STR's is simply non-existent,we get no real tax break, and to state a recent past example of our lack of support, actor Ezra Miller who went a little lolo, shows what some of us have to deal with...Yet the good experiences still outweigh the bad... Hosts just need support from the county which should be standing up for us against the Platforms that refuse to "get involved" as was my case with the Realtor who is an actual Hawaii resident, that case cost me currently$2500-to address and is 2 still not done..I feel the county if making laws should be obligated fairly to both hosts,travelers and hosting platforms alike. I feel that as a Home-owner who is a present as a host that we are going above and beyond what many "property investors," and as some guests have said their nice hotel stays offer in a personable experience.A real Lodge or Bed and Breakfast has for centuries the world over has been homeowner ran or at the very least residential host ran.A Real Bed and Breakfast is just that, a "Bed and Breakfast."Yet have guests always asking"do I need to strip the bed?"which just blows my mind as the actual • description in the title of Airbnb isn't even legitimate BED ... Ha! I hope that as the county, state and even country address STR's they understand that community living is a human experience historically and throughout the world, and while travelers are a big part of any community, as we are a more globalized world,transient guests and those rooted for generations or even newly setting roots into a community need to find balance. I feel hotels have been lobbying strongly against Airbnb kind of hosts becasue we are taking back a part of our community, as community members who are hosting guests and keeping the dollars in our community.And I feel the overall growing problem surrounding STR's is not one caused by home-owners, but rather the bottom line greed of investors pushing this kind of property use and the platforms themselves.A good example would be Expedia who books hotels in Hawaii is the same expedia that now owns VRBO. Or much like the Realtor who accessed our home unethically and the association has ignored their own ethical bylaws, if the county and state don't hold these kinds of tactics accountable,then expect STR's to be a problem regardless of how many taxes or limitations we put on the STR's themselves, becasue it's the lacking of any personal investment which Home-owned Host- present STR's have. Mahalo for your time and consideration, Patrick Faris 808.657.5799 3