MYTH:  Short-term rentals are causing housing shortages in Port Angeles.
FACT:  Short-term rentals make up only 2.5 percent of all housing stock in Port Angeles. The real causes of the housing shortage are a lack of new development due to the ever-increasing costs of building and a gauntlet of costly regulations, combined with increasing demand. Only around 50 houses are built annually in Port Angeles—and only one apartment building has been built in the past 15 years. (Source: AirDNA and Port Angeles Housing Action Plan)

MYTH:  If forced to close, short-term rental homes could be used for affordable housing.
FACT:  If the owners were forced to sell, these homes would certainly not be considered affordable. As an example, in late November 2023 there were 45 homes for sale in Port Angeles that were STRs at one point. Their average listing price was $453,000—a long shot from affordable housing. (Source: AirDNA)

MYTH:  Short-term rentals are a neighborhood nuisance.
FACT:  Police Chief Smith recently stated that STRs have way fewer problems than average in PA because STR owners fix up properties, guests are vetted and credit cards are on file. He also stated he is often able to identify long-term rental properties because of how poorly maintained they are.

 

MYTH:  Many city residents believe STRs should be highly restricted.
FACT: Results of a City survey released in January indicate that the plurality of respondents believe STRs should be allowed in all residential zones. This fact has been driven home at City Council meetings, where the great majority of speakers during the public comment session advocate for STRs. Counter to this, in December, complaints were filed by a few individuals in an attempt to mislead: Nearly 90% of 118 STR complaints to Code Enforcement came from five individuals, with one person submitting 70 complaints (59% of the total). Only 14 individuals were responsible for all complaints filed. (Source: City of Port Angeles Public Records Request)

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MYTH:  Corporate owners/buyers are buying up Port Angeles homes to use as short-term rentals.

FACT:  A 2023 Port Angeles Association of Realtors member poll revealed that in the past 24 months none of the 41 realtors had encountered even a single corporate buyer purchasing home(s) to use for short-term rentals. (Source: Port Angeles Association of Realtors)

MYTH:  Short-term rentals don’t pay lodging taxes.

FACT:  Both Airbnb and VRBO rental platforms collect lodging taxes and remit them directly to the State of Washington, which then distributes those funds to the cities and counties where the STRs are located. In 2023, approximately $336,000 in lodging taxes were generated by the City's STRs located in zones where they are banned. 
(Source: City of Port Angeles Finance Department)

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MYTH:  Not all STRs pay taxes.

FACT:  Are there some folks who don’t use Airbnb or VRBO and don’t pay the appropriate taxes? Sure. There isn’t a single situation anywhere involving paying taxes in which someone isn’t trying to avoid paying them. But nearly all STR owners use AirBnB or VRBO, so the taxes are collected by those platforms and paid to the city or county the STR is situated in. If the City of Port Angeles required STR permits and requirements, it would be a simple process to know who isn’t paying taxes.

 

MYTH:  Short-term rentals are a commercial use and they don't belong in single-family residential zones.
FACT:  Short-term renters are temporary residents who engage in all the same activities all families do—making meals, watching TV, playing games, visiting and sleeping. In 2014 the Washington State Supreme Court concurred: "If a vacation renter uses a home 'for the purposes of eating, sleeping, and other residential purposes,' this use is residential, not commercial, no matter how short the rental duration." (Source: Washington State Supreme Court)

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MYTH: If forced to close, short-term rental homes could be used for long-term rentals.

FACT:  Many OPLA members have indicated that if forced to shut down permanently, they will not turn their STR into a long-term rental, for a variety of reasons. Washington State landlord-tenant laws favor the tenant, making it very challenging to be a landlord. You cannot easily get rid of bad renters. It can be done, but it takes lawyers and a lot of money. While not all renters are bad, a local realtor noted that it costs an average of $5,000 to repair damages after long-term renters in city homes. One local homeowner had to spend $20,000 to repair the damages after their last long-term renter left.

Many STR owners use their home for multiple purposes: They host guests during the summer season, and during the shoulder seasons they welcome out-of-town family or friends; others are snowbirds and prefer the flexibility of living in their home when they’re here and renting it out while they’re traveling.

MYTH: The only ones making money on STRs are the owners.
FACT:  Short-term rental visitors pay a 4 percent lodging tax, and PA's 234 STRs are  estimated to have generated more than $420,000 for events and tourism in 2023. The fund subsidizes numerous organizations, from youth basketball and baseball and the BMX Track to the the Port Angeles Fine Art Center and Field Hall. STRs support jobs ranging from cleaners and window-washers to landscapers and repair services. (Source: City of Port Angeles Finance Department)

MYTH: STR owners don't operate their rentals to feed their family, they are doing it to increase their levels of wealth.
FACT:  It's a misconception that all STR owners are wealthy. Short-term rental owners in this city do not get rich from renting out their homes. While the summer season is robust, rentals are inconsistent much of the rest of the year. STR owners use their rentals to help keep a family home, pay their property taxes, save for their kids’ college education, supplement retirement income—or, in many cases, just to cover basic living expenses.

MYTH: Most STR owners don’t want regulation, so they can do as they please.
FACT:  STR owners depend on solid regulations that even the playing field and help weed out bad operators. OPLA is a member of Rent Responsibly (RR), which supports alliances such as ours to foster collaborative rules and regulations with their local jurisdictions. Rent Responsibly offers a “Fostering Good Neighbor Relations” guide which includes an actionable plan for noise, trash and parking, which are the top three complaints surrounding bad operators. (Source: Rent Responsibly)