Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: SHort Term Rentals

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Patti —

Happy to hear that JP has found a plan that works for you.  JP is a real model 
for showing how with thought and effort you have developed a way to accommodate 
everyone.  Sharing this may help other communities to do the same.  

Money changes the conversation because it moves the transaction from being one 
of sharing to a business.  Having businesses in a community in which people are 
coming in and out changes the nature of the whole community as Eris pointed 
out.  

One area that’s interesting to me is:  what’s the difference between “swapping” 
houses and “renting” out a room or home?  There does seem to be a difference 
but what is it exactly?  Is it this thing of a money transaction vs. “sharing”? 
 Is “sharing” a situation more in line w/ our often not well thought out values?

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
202.546.4654

As long as you have two or fewer … your ducks are always in a row.  The Covert 
Comic



> On May 19, 2017, at 6:47 PM, Patti Lautner <lautnerp [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Both. But the agreement is that if you rent the whole home, someone from 
> community agrees to be the responsible host. It's the same way we treat our 
> guest suite. Strangers (everyone is a stranger to someone else-until they 
> meet) are welcome as long as there is a named responsible host.
> 
> A few of us have done whole house swaps with other families from different 
> cities-same principals apply. But nobody seemed very concerned until money 
> was exchanged. Funny how money changes the conversation sometimes. 
> 
> Best,
> Patti
> 
>> On May 19, 2017, at 2:49 PM, Beverly Jones Redekop <beverly.jones.redekop 
>> [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Do you allow people to rent their whole home while they are away? Or is
>> this just renting a room in the home while present and occupying the rest
>> of their home themselves?
>> 
>>> On Fri, May 19, 2017, 4:49 AM Patti Lautner <lautnerp [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> There was a thread on this topic a few years ago, one may want to search
>>> the archives for more insights.
>>> 
>>> It's important to consider the reasons why members want to participate
>>> hosting AIRBNB for example, or other short-term rentals. For JPCohousing
>>> (Boston) where affordability is a commonly held value, we understand that
>>> some members are greatly relieved financially by short-term rentals.
>>> 
>>> We have had discussions and put some boundaries around the practice
>>> including: no unescorted access to the common house and the host member (or
>>> host proxy, i.e. someone who also lives in the community) must be home to
>>> take responsibility for their 'guests'. There is a calendar maintained
>>> online where hosts are asked to list the names, duration, and any other
>>> interesting information about the renter.
>>> 
>>> I firmly believe that a 'no-short-term' rental policy is unfriendly to low
>>> income and/or fixed income members. In addition, speaking from personal
>>> experience as an occasional short-term rental host, I absolutely love
>>> hosting. The extra income has helped support my college age kids so that
>>> they can do semester abroad, or take a low pay internships while also
>>> paying their student loans.
>>> 
>>> It's my experience that the community can effectively address the concerns
>>> instead of preventing the practice.
>>> 
>>> Patti
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On May 18, 2017, at 9:56 AM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] 
>>>> sharonvillines.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> We don’t allow it — the bylaws say no "transient” rentals for the same
>>> reasons Eris mentioned. “Transient” according to web searches is generally
>>> interpreted to mean a month or less; some even six months.
>>>> 
>>>> A community can’t be a community and a hotel at the same time.
>>> Particularly not a hot-bed hotel.
>>>> 
>>>> There is a good thread on this in the archives.
>>>> 
>>>> Sharon
>>>> ----
>>>> Sharon Villines
>>>> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
>>>> http://www.takomavillage.org
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _________________________________________________________________
>>>> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>>>> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> _________________________________________________________________
>>> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>>> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> _________________________________________________________________
>> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>> 
>> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
> 
>