Greg Holcomb, MPA
In 2012, Glen Odegard bought a Victorian home that sat empty for 60 years in Arizona. The 118 year old home was in much need of repair. Glen had a vision for this property, which included turning the home into a vacation rental. After expensive and laborious renovations to preserve this historic home, the town gave him their blessing, including issuing a business permit.
Soon after he started to rent the home, local policy makers voted to make vacation homes illegal. The Goldwater Institute assisted Glen, in protecting his private property rights, by taking the case to all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Glen’s story is becoming all too familiar across the country. Knowing your legal rights and how to fight back are vitally important for vacation rental managers. Christina Sandefur, Executive Vice President of the Goldwater Institute, is presenting “Fighting for Your Right to Share Your Home” at VRMA National Conference.
Christina, the author of “Cornerstone of Liberty: Private Property Rights in 21st Century America”, was recently interviewed on C-SPAN discussing private property rights and her book. She has authored numerous articles for legal journals on topics such as private property rights, short-term renting and the sharing economy.
She will be joined by Matt Curtis, founder of GPS Policy Group and VRMA Board member. Matt is a renowned expert nationally on short-term rental regulations.
Session description:
Fighting for Your Right to Share Your Home
Monday, October 16, 1:00-2:00 P.M.
The so-called Sharing Economy has opened new opportunities for property owners to supplement income and cover the cost of ownership. All while allowing property managers to improve their businesses and local economies—to the benefit of travelers with greater choices and lower prices. Unfortunately, regulators are not all welcoming these innovations with open arms, but instead many are punishing people – sometimes, by criminal penalties – for renting homes on a day by day or week by week basis. Rather than enforcing existing city ordinances that forbid noise or other nuisances, governments are reducing property values, driving up the costs of travel and lodging, and putting entrepreneurs out of business. Learn about what to do and where to go if you become a victim of overregulation, and what is being done in state courtrooms and legislatures nationwide to restore the foundation of the American Dream, the right to private property.
