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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.077 2016-2018FAICEA ?(-, c:. ulo.Y CLERK -OF, HA'Aff We are the lucky neighbors of a vacation rental home here in:Kona.. This ls;a regular neighborhood, with 1918 APR 7 regular people working regular jobs. This particular vacation ent oRle 'arge... and... yippee... the more the merrier ...as it's advertised to sleep lots of people using every available sleeping surface plus even more people if (according to their online information) the rollaways, blowups, pullouts and futons are used, too. The owner of the vacation rental home next door does not live here, has never lived here, and has zero interest in this neighborhood, its residents, Kona and the Big Island. We have reached out to the owner on several occasions to open a dialog. He has never replied. The "property manager" of this home is not on site. He also has zero interest in our neighborhood. We know this because when we called to inform him of excessively loud and drunken renters we were told that we should simply pack up and leave our home for the day. We could almost get behind the idea of an enforced beach day if weren't for the fact that the renters partied all day, every day while "enjoying Kona"... or should we say... while enjoying Kona as seen from the bottom of yet another empty cocktail glass? This "property manager" is not listed as a licensed realtor according to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The "owner" (according to the website) has a fictitious name under a photo of a generic man. The owner and property manager do share a common interest: making money. They are making lots of money. It's easy to check the online website to see just exactly how -much. This money is being made at the expense of the neighbor's quality of life. Multiply just this one unsupervised vacation rental home by hundreds like it all over our town and that equals a community filled with frustrated neighbors/citizens. The above paragraphs were written by a totally frustrated and angry person ... me. That was before I became motivated to try to actually do something instead of being a sad victim. Here's what I did: Comm. No. Ref. To: L 2 4 Ref. Date �® 1. 1 contacted the County of Hawaii Real Property Tax Division. I found out online that the owner of the home next door filed a homeowner's exemption. In reality he does not qualify for that exemption because he lives, and always has lived, on the mainland. I calculated the amount of property tax due to our county over the past six years of his ownership to be $39,524.46. 1 believe that the case is currently under investigation. 2. 1 contacted the State Department of Taxation. First I looked online to see if there was a GET and TAT license filed for my neighbor under his name, his physical address or his TMK. I then spoke with the Hawaii District Tax Office. Although they could not inform me of any details the officer listened to what I had to say and looked all of the pertinent information on an office computer, including the website with the home's advertised daily rate of over $1000.00 per day. If, indeed, my neighbor has no GET or TAT license I calculated his back taxes by multiplying the estimated number of nights that the home has been rented X the daily rate X GET @ 4.16 and TAT @ 10.25. 1 calculated back taxes at: GET $3,285.26 and TAT $8,081.10. That's $11,366.95 total. I believe that an investigation is underway. 3. 1 contacted the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. First I checked online to see if the "property manager listed for the home next door has a Hawaii State Real Estate license and a Hawaii State Broker's license. Finding that he did not, I filled out a complaint form. I believe that the case is currently under investigation. 4. 1 contacted the County of Hawaii Planning Department. I filled out and filed a Zoning Use Violation form. My complaint was denied, in part because the Planning Department "does not regulate long or short term rentals." Despite the ruling I believe that there may be an infraction next door due to SS 205-6 which pertains to the bona fide uses of AG land. The property next door is zoned Al -A. , 5. 1 contacted the County of Hawaii Health Department. First I checked online to see what type of sewage system is in place next door. I noted that the New Cesspool Information Card for the home next door was signed off as a home with one bedroom. Presently the home can accommodate 17 people. (I went online to look at the website featuring the home. Each bedroom has two beds. There are four bedrooms plus a media room that converts to the fifth bedroom with two beds. Simple calculation of beds, people and rooms equals 17 possible inhabitants. Also advertised are additional rollaways and futons.) At present there are no Health violations, however, as a concerned citizen I believe that this is an issue that needs addressing. I conclude by asking everyone who is negatively impacted by this ever growing problem "next door" to step up ... to speak out ...to support regulations that will return the Kona neighborhoods to the everyday citizens of Kona!