SPOKANE, Wash. — Coeur d'Alene, a prime summer destination for people around the country, depends on short-term rentals like Airbnbs.
The city recently released a proposal to crack down on illegal short-term rentals. If approved, operating without a permit could cost thousands of dollars.
Since 2017, the city has required short-term rental owners to pay for a permit.
But, many did not.
"First thought that went through my mind when I read it was, 'oh gosh,'" Stacy Armstrong, a short-term rental owner, said.
Now, in an effort to stop STRs that are illegal, the city has released a new proposal.
Stacy Armstrong is a legal short-term rental owner, but she feels the proposal can stand in the way of some in state property owners.
"We are an economic contributor. We are not a bunch of out of state investors coming into town," Armstrong said. "In fact, most of us are locals that just own a second home and vacation rental it."
Now, only current permit owners can renew their permit. There will also be a fee increase from $84 dollars to $180.
Melissa Radford is the founder of Coeur d'Alene Vacation Alliance, a non-profit that focuses on protecting STR owners rights.
"The things that they put in place were just entirely punitive. They were entirely negative towards how short-term rentals impact the community and it wasn't honest at all," Radford said.
One short-term rental owner says if people are forced to stop operating their STRs, they'll lose money as the price of houses go down.
"It's going to flood the market with new homes, market values of homes will go down," Jeremy Radford, a short-term rental owner, said. "That just doesn't help anybody. It goes against your dream."
In a response to the proposal the alliance said quote, "We trust the community of Coeur d'Alene to help safeguard our constitutionally protected right to rent."
The city plans on presenting their proposal to the city council on February 21.
But, the Coeur d'Alene Vacation Alliance tells me they hope it doesn't have to get to that point.
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