New vacation-rental rules
Mountain homeowners will soon face new rules if they want to rent their homes out to vacationers.
A new ordinance adopted by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will require homeowners and rental agencies to pay for permits and obey various rules if they want to be a part of the rental business.
The new rules require that homeowners and rental agencies pay $155 to apply for rental permits and another $124 every two years to cover the cost of inspecting rental homes.
Homeowners and rental agencies will also be required to limit the number of guests who can stay at a home and ensure a minimum number of parking spaces will be available based on the size and number of bedrooms in a rental home.
Additionally, neighbors living near a rental home must be given a phone number that can be called at any time if a problem develops. The new ordinance is scheduled to take effect in 28 days.
Staffers in the county Land Use Services Department proposed the new regulations as a way to reduce complaints of nuisances associated with vacation rentals.
The five-member Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the ordinance on Tuesday, but not everyone is pleased with the new rules. Opponents of the new regulations have said they expect the new policy to be a thorn in the side of the real-estate market.
The ordinance was an attempt to strike a balance between permanent mountain residents and the vacation industry, said Marshall Riley, a field representative for Supervisor Paul Biane, whose 2nd District includes Crestline.
Riley said Biane's office frequently fields complaints from constituents bothered by noise, trash and scarce parking.
"Parking is a problem. It's a problem in many mountain communities because of narrow roads," Riley said.
Rolf Garthoffner, owner of Arrowhead Property Rental, predicted the ordinance will create a problem for the mountain real-estate market because prospective home buyers are often attracted to the possibility of earning extra money by renting out their home.
Andy Center, owner of AAA Resort Rentals Inc., agreed that the ability to rent a home is a powerful selling point in the mountains. Center also expects that the number of homes currently offered to vacationers will diminish.
Garthoffner expects that the ordinance will cause homeowners to shun rental agencies and advertise their homes on Web sites without following the rules.
"The county's not going to get their bed tax if the owners are going to do it themselves," he said.
The ordinance will govern vacation rentals in all mountain communities under the county's jurisdiction.
It was modeled after Big Bear Lake's regulations, which are a current issue in that city.
Jim and Barbara McLean, the owners of Apples Bed and Breakfast, believe the city's rules governing rentals are too lenient, and they are collecting signatures for a ballot measure that would require a more rigorous permitting process for vacation rentals.
Members of Big Bear Lake's vacation rental industry have said the McLeans' proposal could kill their business.