Short-term rental legislation would negatively affect seniors | Opinion

As the state legislature takes steps to prevent local communities from regulating short-term rentals, Tennessee residents are speaking up to ensure the voices of seniors are heard.

Under the proposed SB 0871 and HB 0645, the legislature would remove local governments’ authority to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. By stripping local cities and towns of the ability to regulate housing in their communities, this bill will have widespread, unintended consequences.

Across Tennessee and the United States, local communities have been faced with an influx of short-term rental properties. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with homeowners listing their properties or an extra room for rental, there has been a boom in real estate investors, LLCs and commercial operators buying up houses for the sole purpose of operating them as vacation rentals.

The changing landscape of neighborhoods across Tennessee is putting the well-being of our seniors at risk. For starters, the influx of short-term rentals is making neighborhoods unrecognizable by promoting a revolving door of renters. Elderly folks, who often live alone, deserve to feel safe in their own neighborhoods. The concerns regarding safety are not unfounded either. From shootings to out-of-control parties, the consequences of unregulated rentals can spell bad news for a community. As these persistent issues have caused some to call for action at the local level to prevent horror stories like those aforementioned, this bill would prevent localities from doing just that.

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As our seniors live out their twilight years, the negative impact of short-term rentals and the revolving door of neighbors is clear. Along with the safety impact, there is a financial reason for concern as well. The unregulated buildup of commercially operated short-term rentals is affecting the housing market. States like Arizona have passed similar bills to SB 0871 and HB 0645, and the impacts on cities like Sedona are immense. The Arizona Republic detailed the housing shortage that has ensued since the preemption legislation took effect, noting, “Sedona had an estimated 200 to 300. vacation rentals before the new law took effect. Today, vacation rentals have grown to more than 1,000 homes, or 20% of Sedona's total housing inventory. … The result? In one of Arizona's most beautiful places, many can't find a place to live.”

This bill would damage the very fabric of our local communities. When commercial investors buy up residential homes to convert to short-term rentals, senior citizens suffer while the community fabric and quality of life in their neighborhood is reduced. Furthermore, disturbances often raise safety concerns as neighbors are replaced with transient strangers not invested in the community.

Whether it’s seniors or new families, homeowners chose their residential communities because of the neighborhood environment that provided safety and good neighborly relations. They specifically stayed away from transient communities, and this legislation would upend many communities across Tennessee.

Bills like the one being debated in Nashville will strip our cities and towns of their ability to protect their sense of community and affordable housing. It is essential that Nashville politicians soundly reject SB 871 and HB 645 to keep Tennessee neighborhoods safe and affordable for seniors.

Saul Anuzis is the president of the 60 PLUS Association and American Association of Senior Citizens.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Short-term rental legislation would negatively affect seniors