Editor:
It’s misguided to think regulating STRs will be the magic bullet to solve the lack of long-term rentals. Homeowners choose short-term rentals for two reasons: money in and money out. For some, the money made may actually be less than a long-term lease, but short-term renters can’t do nearly as much damage in a few days as people can do in a year.
I’m certainly not saying every renter is bad, I know many are very responsible; but the costs to the owner associated with the bad ones can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Just like bad dog owners ruin it for responsible ones, so do bad renters spoil it for good ones. I can only imagine that some would rather their investment sit empty than run the risk of long-term damage.
Liz Borland, Halfmoon Bay
