City mulls vacation rental plan

SANDPOINT — City officials hope a proposed registration system for vacation rentals will limit municipal liability and increase revenue.

After months of work from the Planning and Zoning Commission, Sandpoint City Planner Jeremy Grimm presented a full plan for vacation rental reform at the Wednesday council meeting. The plan utilizes a licensing system to authorize and inspect vacation rentals to ensure safety and limit tax dodging.

The planning process started after city officials received complaints of unauthorized vacationers hosting raucous, late-night parties and spoiling summer fun for the rest of the neighborhood.

“We’ve heard historically that fraternities or rowdy Canadians would occupy these houses and become a nuisance to the neighbors,” Grimm added.

Investigating the problem in more detail, city staff found several rentals were not complying with the rules established for vacation homes — especially the requirement that visitors staying fewer than 30 days pay a bed tax and have the houses inspected.

Grimm said a similar situation landed another town in hot legal water when a family died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an improperly-maintained rental.

The new system operates primarily by issuing tourist home licenses and registration numbers on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Those numbers are required to be listed in any rental advertisements, whether they be online or otherwise. Those who don’t comply may find themselves receiving a letter from the city and possibly a misdemeanor citation.

In addition to the licensing system, the plan requires that each tourist home have a representative appointed who is easily reachable by phone whenever necessary.

This representative will be responsible for assisting renters or law enforcement in the event that the neighbors begin complaining. Planning Commission members also placed a 300-foot buffer requirement between rentals to further limit noise problems.

A public workshop held in February assisted Planning Commission members in working local opinions from residents and real estate workers into the new system.

Now that the initiative is in the council’s hands, more public workshops in April will further hone the proposal.

“I think the Planning Commission made a really heroic effort on this very complicated issue,” Councilwoman Carrie Logan said.