VRBO: Nightmare to some, dream to others
I read with amusement the interview with John and Lorri Erickson. They stated that the guests who visit the VRBO next door “violate the wildlife and their personal property.”
Citing the lack of county requirements or restrictions, they allege that the minor inconveniences that have been present all along have now escalated to the point that “county intervention is necessary.”
Although the Ericksons state that the guests in the home next door “consistently violate the recommendations of the homeowner and the company,” they do not substantiate the allegations with any sort of evidence of wrongdoing. The examples given were limited to the flying of a drone in the area, children yelling and screaming nearby, target practice taking place and a wedding held in the owner’s barn back in 2020.
Being a person who always wants to hear the other side of the story, I googled the Ericksons' property address, and discovered that the neighborhood they live in is out in the country. All the neighboring parcels are acreages. This makes sense, as people who live out in the country do often practice shooting, fly drones and have barns and space enough for a wedding or other big gathering.
Children run and play, wildlife abounds and there is appropriate room for all these activities. None of these things are illegal, unsafe or prohibited by the neighborhood guidelines. According to the FAA, drones are allowed to be in the airspace, since the homeowner does not “own” the airspace.
So, the Ericksons want the county to step in and regulate short-term rentals. This would go against recently enacted legislation at the state level which promotes vacation rentals by limiting local government’s authority to regulate or prohibit these “beneficial property uses.”
My appreciation to the reporter, Madison Hardy, who did her due diligence in presenting the other side of this issue. Why, you might ask, do the lawmakers in Boise feel that vacation rentals are so important? Simple. Vacation rentals bring thousands of people to our area to vacation that would not otherwise be able to come. Families that cannot afford the cost of a hotel ($250 per night) and have money enough to go to Silverwood, hike in our beautiful forests, paddleboard on the lake and take the kids out to eat, are able to vacation here thanks to a plethora of available vacation rentals.
AirBnB and VRBO have provided homeowners with a safe, easy way to fill their homes with vacationers. They screen the guests, collect the money and handle any damage claims that might occur. The homeowner has increased income, and no nightmare tenants who might destroy the home before they can be evicted. A look at the vacation rentals in our town will reveal well-maintained, neat and clean properties that are free of junk and clutter.
I would conclude by asking the Eriksons if they would like to trade neighbors with me. I’ll take their drone flying, children playing, once a year wedding celebrating neighbors any time, and they can have my neighbor, who burns wet leaves all summer, but only when the wind is coming our direction, plays heavy metal music all afternoon and holds loud conversations in their backyard in the middle of the night just outside our bedroom window.
There are at least 11 unrelated individuals living in their single-family residence. Forget about parking on the street, it’s all taken. I’ve given up trying to get anyone to regulate them. It’s pointless, because, as I’ve been told, “none of that is against the law.”
So, we live and let live, and accept that it could be worse; we could have busy-bodies like the Ericksons for neighbors. Now THAT would be a nightmare.
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Anne Patterson is a Coeur d’Alene resident.