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City Considering More Regulations for Vacation Rentals

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Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting is further considering possible regulations for vacation rentals.

The department held a public hearing Tuesday to gather input on proposed administrative rules for the operation, advertisement and permitting of vacation units and bed and breakfasts.

Supporters of the proposals believe the department needs to do more to regulate vacation rentals in neighborhoods.

Opponents say the department should not only focus on enforcement but also make changes to the permit lottery system and a rule requiring a 1,000-foot separation between rentals.

Real estate analyst Ricky Cassiday says the rules are politically charged between hotels, unions and homeowners.

"The apportionment of the number of what will be termed licenses, and the setting of the number bore no resemblance to what either the quantity or the quality of what’s out there," Cassiday said. "And then to do a lottery, those are arbitrary. They’re not tied to reality. They are politically motivated."

"DPP, particularly this new administration, should take a step back and ask themselves: what is the greatest good for the greatest number?" he said.

According to reports from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, occupancy rates for vacation rentals have outpaced hotels for the past five months.

Casey Harlow was an HPR reporter and occasionally filled in as local host of Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
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