Testimonials
"My fear is that in the city's eagerness to solve one problem it will inadvertently create a host of different ones that will negatively impact our citizens, our economy and our community."
We're giving a voice to Port Angeles' short-term rental owners who explain how the City's actions are affecting their lives.
R.F.
I operate an STR in a zone where they are not permitted. I am owner-occupied. My understanding is that because I am owner-occupied that I will not be affected by the regulations thus will be allowed to continue operation as long as I pay the OUTRAGEOUS fees! I'm 76 years old and retired. I have cancer and severe neuropathy in my legs which limits my mobility and ability to clean my property. I get $620 net from Social Security. I do have additional income but it is not sufficient to pay my monthly bills and have money left over for food, medicine, medical co-pays and basic life expenses so I operate my STR. My PA City property tax is $5800 a year (almost $500 a month). I can't get the City property tax break because I have put my property in an LLC in a Trust for my children which makes it ineligible. If I put it in my name I would be able to get up to 50% tax break minus the portion attributed to my STR use, which in my case is 50%, thus the best I could do would be to place my property in my name and then get a 25% maximum tax break. This is another way the City finds to take my money. I earn about $15,000 net from my STR. I do all my own cleaning to save a few dollars. I have to scrape for every dollar just to pay my City tax and utilities out of my STR income and be able to use my Social Security and other income for the basics of life. The fees should be far less than those proposed and IMO based on gross income, which can be easily obtained from the platforms that service STRs: AirBnB, VRBO, etc. Fees should be a progressive not a high one-fee-fits-all. The more an STR makes the more it pays in fees. This would be fair to the little mom-and-pop STRs that don't make much and need as much as possible just to stay alive and living in their homes. My one big question: how will attacking STRs and forcing as many as possible out of business have any affect on the lack of affordable housing in Port Angeles? I don't see how it could possibly do that so what is the City's real agenda here?
S.N.
Myself and my partner live in west PA (zone R7) in an 1895 home we bought a little over a year ago. We have a small ADU on the back side of our garage we used last summer on Airbnb. Honestly, this whole hubbub with the city is disheartening, to say the least. When we purchased, we believed we were not “out of compliance” or, at the very least, in some gray area, as our unit is attached to our garage, on our property, and does not have a separate meter, etc. Be that as it may, now, with the current proposed draft, we as Type II (rented for more than 90 days) and as a “no conforming type II” we would have to pay almost $5,000 in licensing and inspection fees initially. Shocking. And this for those of us that have been “out of compliance” but not those starting anew? That’s a license fee 3x higher and definitely punitive. We made barely over $19,000 last summer and I’d imagine that’s what we would make again this year. Now, math may not be my strong suit, but that represents more than 25% of our income. Which feels and is burdensome and harmful on many levels. We have no intention of being landlords, nor is our unit suitable for long-term rentals, though it appears the city would like us to believe that is our only option. We are both RNs providing important services to our healthcare community and have been happy to spend our dollars here and settle into the community here on the peninsula. Our STR income was a way for us to remodel our older home and pave a slow ,albeit hopefully steady, path into eventual retirement in a community we care deeply about. We have no problem with some kind of just and fair regulation regarding STRs. This, however, seems far from that. And had we known this is what we would face, we would not have chosen this place to settle in. Frankly, should this extreme be set in place, we may well likely choose to leave altogether. While we may only be 2 people, our departure would take 2 medical professionals out of the community, not a small thing.
D.A.
I am passionate about adhering to all laws and government-given rules. And yet it is true that I have operated an STR within what is considered Low-Moderate Density zoning (R7), where it is not permitted. With no history of government disobedience, why would I do that? Just after purchasing our home in the fall of 2021—the only house I own—we expressed disappointment that we would be unable to rent on AirBnB because of the zoning restrictions. Our neighbor was surprised and pointed to a house only 200 feet away from mine and told us they were operating one there. I verified on the zoning map that this home is in the same zone and I verified that it was still for rent on AirBnB. Laws which are not enforced have no real force of law. I decided to go ahead and publish our property on AirBnB and when I opened my business checking account with a local branch manager, he told me he is the owner of that particular AirBnb near my home. Therefore, I published the home right away, and became a super host the following summer with a rating of 4.97. To become a more legitimate business in the eyes of the city, I unsuccessfully pursued a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to open as a full-service bed and breakfast, which is an allowed use. After considerable time and expense, it became clear that even if I complied with all their requirements, it would still not be approved, the final outstanding issue being that I don’t live there all the time. When I pointed out to the Planning Division that the PA municipal code doesn’t even define full-time residency and that the federal definition is only considered 14-days, I was told that they didn’t need it to be defined, and the planner mentioned the possibility of randomly checking the property. I laughed out loud at the possibility of this but later observed him drive by once in his city pickup truck while I was working in the yard. The planner pointed out something difficult to philosophically disagree with: My neighbor breaking a law doesn’t give me license to do so. Additionally, he warned me that this can lead to $500 per day fines and even a misdemeanor jail term, but he also said that while there is a code enforcement officer, he is only pursuing cases generated by a complaint. I pointed out him what I learned in my first tax season of Airbnb operations: the city does know or could easily determine precisely who is operating an Airbnb because they receive annual tax revenue checks from each of us. I have produced over $2000 per year for the city’s portion of our hotel/motel tax. If the City of Port Angeles wants to shut down STRs where they’re not permitted, they can easily identify them and do so. Publishing a law that you will enforce only after receiving a complaint leaves the door open to abuse where you will strictly enforce upon some and look the other way on others. The truth is that the city does want that revenue and if these businesses can fly under the radar without complaints, fine. The planner essentially told me that for now, the city wouldn’t do anything about my operation unless they received a complaint. I decided to accept the risk and continue. Our city has so many problems and infestations of various kinds, which truly have negative impacts on health and welfare, that it’s amazing outlawing and policing well-managed STRs are even a priority. When a home business such as this has no signage or noticeable impacts of any kind, other than what might be expected from a normal family household, why make them illegal? In fact, these homes are generally much cleaner and neater than regular family homes. Why shouldn’t they be allowed in all zones? Four months a year the city has a huge accommodations shortage. Is tourism an important part of local revenue for the government and for business owners? If so, they need us to stay open. Over 40% of my customers historically have come from out of state. These are people who wouldn’t likely be flying across the country to stay at the Olympic Lodge or mere hotels. They are looking for houses to rent and they will find them in Sequim or out in the county and when they do all that tax money will go to those jurisdictions. In Sequim STRs are permitted only in the lighter density areas because they don’t want STRs competing for houses in the higher density areas of first-time home buyers and multi-family homes. This means that Port Angeles’s zoning priorities are exactly backwards. I have two cleaners I have contractually employed to clean the house. This will also negatively impact them as well. It’s unlikely that home prices will ever come down in our area no matter what the government policy may be. What sounds more beneficial and hopeful: Preventing STRs in hopes that it will lower demand for home purchases and rents or accepting STRs with the virtual certainty of the revenue they provide, both in taxes and in profit to local businesses?
C.W.
I originally moved to PA in 2021. That was only made possible BECAUSE of Airbnb. I bought a house at the absolute limit of my affordability because of the sheer lack of houses on the market at that time. I was only able to afford my mortgage because I rented out the spare rooms on Airbnb. I loved the experience of providing families and friends an experience in this beautiful place. The natural beauty brought me here in the first place, so to be able to share that with people was fulfilling. Because my mortgage was being supplemented by the income from Airbnb, I was able to save enough to buy a second house in May this year. This was around the same time I got my Cease and Desist letter in the mail. I have since put nurses in my original property. I’ve been studying the real estate market nationwide for the last 3 years and am quite knowledgeable about market trends and what seems to be causing the rising housing costs. It’s ignorant to put all the blame on Airbnb. Most owners in this town are not massive conglomerates absorbing what’s left of the single-family homes in America. This market is an afterthought for those companies. Banning Airbnb would likely force me to sell my home and bring me back to square one despite all the sacrifices and hard work it took to get me where I am today.
J.P.
I am the owner of an STR. I employ several people. One is a newlywed and her and her husband both work two jobs. They built a house, and it was more expensive than they had thought. The price of materials went up drastically. So they ended up with a very large mortgage that was difficult to afford. So she cleans as a second job. One of our houses is a short-term rental and it helps her get by. One of the people I employ is a student. She has health problems. She’s on the right track. She goes to school. She says that she’s only able to go to school because of the flexible job that she has by working as a cleaner. The third person is a retiree, and her and her husband are retired and are living off social security. Money’s tight and they have grandkids. She cleans so she is able to afford birthday presents and Christmas presents. The next person is a mom, and she has 6 or 7 kids. She brings them with her to clean the houses, and I don’t know how she gets it done. She has all these little ones running around, but she does an excellent job. So [the City’s action] is a zero-sum game, taking from some people and giving to the other. These people are trying to figure out life and get by. I, myself, am a working-class person, and when me and my wife go on vacation we couldn’t afford to stay at the price of the Airbnb that we have. If I am flagrant [about owning an STR in a low-density zone] it’s for good reasons.
D.K.
I am an owner of one short-term rental in town operating in an area deemed "illegal." We went to the city in 2019 before we purchased our home and was told there was no restrictions about operating a vacation rental in town. We are not rich. In fact, I purchased my rental with settlement money. I was a police officer injured in the line of duty from another state. I received no compensation from the agency, I lost my career and my retirement. This area saved me, and I wanted to find a way to invest in the area so I purchased my one vacation rental and allowed others to come here to see the beauty. We have closed down our rental, and we don’t know what we will do. I have used it to supplement our income and support my family since losing my career. While our kids are growing up, we have four, the rental has allowed them to do activities we wouldn’t have been able to afford. My neighbors of the rental have their family members stay at a reduced rate when they visit. It was our plan for it to contribute to my retirement. In our vacation rental we sell local artist work, our guests eat and shop locally, and throughout the year we have guests participating in local events. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I hope in sharing our story too, it helps others realize we are normal citizens trying to make a living and live locally.
D.H.
I’ve been a teacher in Port Angeles for 27 years. In that time I have watched as many of the economic drivers in our community have disappeared. As each industry has dissolved I have watched our community sink further into economic despair. A majority of the STR owners rely on their STRs to keep themselves and their families above the poverty level, a category that has more than doubled in PA in the time I’ve lived here. Most I know didn’t realize they were out of compliance with city regulations when they began hosting. Rather, this was their way of exercising resilience in the face of economic uncertainty. I’ve been disheartened and disappointed by some of the statements made by Councilmembers. Statements that were not only lacking in empathy but lacking in compassion, and appear at times to be downright hostile and vindictive toward fellow community members. Perhaps they have never felt the weight of being a provider for their families. While there is little doubt that we have an affordable housing crisis, we are also facing an economic crisis in this town. My fear is that in your eagerness to solve one problem you will inadvertently create a host of different ones that will negatively impact our citizens, our economy and our community. The problem isn’t that homes aren’t available, it’s that affordable homes aren’t available. The median household income in Port Angeles is under $54,000. Most mortgage calculators show that a person with that household income could reasonably afford a house that costs $165,000. There were no homes in Port Angeles listed at that price. Throwing more homes into the mix is not going to mitigate any of the factors that are driving up the high housing prices. People who can’t afford homes now won’t be able to afford the STRs that are put back on the market. If current buying trends hold, the majority of those homes will be purchased by deep pockets coming from other communities and do little to ease the demand for affordable housing.
A.E.
We moved here four years ago. I wanted a place where my mother could live for the rest of her life. I needed additional income during retirement, understanding that my brother would require some extra care later on in life. I had an STR in Maple Valley and was very familiar with how that works, so I looked for a home with that possibility in Port Angeles. As many were operating in the neighborhoods I was looking at, I thought I was good to go. We found a house and started remodeling the basement to start an STR. We chose to go with an STR instead of long-term, as it would be a place for family and friends to come visit in our home. The basement area will also be used for future healthcare help when we need it. We have brochures for our guests with local restaurants. We push all our guests to go visit all the local activities. We employ three locals who assist in maintaining the property to ensure that we earn and sustain Super Host status. I feel very proud of our home and how it contributes to our community. I was shocked to find out there is a moratorium on STRs. I believe in regulations to maintain a healthy community. And I support what STRs bring to Port Angeles not just financially, but the energy tourists inject into our community.