FLAPOL
By Peter Schorsch
May 7, 2020
Shared space at hotels is inevitable, but short-term rentals are ideal for social distancing.
Gov. Ron DeSantis should reopen short-term vacation rentals, like, yesterday.
Hear me out.
This is not a question about whether the state should ease its restrictions on outside travel, particularly from hotbeds where the novel coronavirus is prevalent.
Those restrictions are prudent and smart, but they can be implemented and enforced without closing a major industry in the Florida economy.
Throughout the economic closures and restrictions, hotels have been allowed to remain open despite the fact that they present a greater risk of spreading the virus than much smaller vacation rentals. Potentially hundreds of people pass through shared space at hotels, but vacation rentals like Airbnb and HomeAway, are most often single occupancy where social distancing is easier and cross contamination of germs less likely.
Consider also that the need for room stays, whether in hotels or short-term rentals, has reduced exponentially due to the virus. People simply aren’t traveling because, where would they go?
Theme parks are closed. The cruise industry is shut down. Up until recently, most Florida beaches were shuttered and even now are open for limited use. Many of the amenities that make up the appeal for booking a room have been unavailable like pools, gyms, spa services and room service.
Largely, none of that applies to vacation rentals. If they have amenities that would be shared and, thus, unavailable at a multiple-occupancy hotel, they’re for single use and can easily be sterilized in between stays, ensuring safe operating and adherence to CDC recommendations.
Not to mention, one of the biggest sectors at this time for Florida room nights remains health care workers and first responders who are traveling to offer care in areas with high-demand. These workers are either looking for accommodations to work outside their home area or are looking for a place to stay to shelter away from their families in the interest of keeping them safe.
A vacation rental is far safer for these individuals, and the overall public, than a hotel where shared space is inevitable.
The case for opening vacation rentals is not only obvious — if hotels can remain open, why not vacation rentals? — it’s economically prudent.
Take areas like the Panhandle. Thanks to Hurricane Michael and its devastating wrath, few hotels are available. The industry relies heavily on vacation rentals, which is still reeling from the hurricane and is made only worse by the pandemic. Rep. Jayer Williamson, who represents the Pensacola area, and Congressman Matt Gaetz, whose district includes most of the Panhandle, have both called for vacation rentals to reopen.
Airbnb is obviously calling for reopening, but so too are Florida Realtors, Expedia (which owns HomeAway and VRBO) and the Florida Vacation Rental Management Association (FVRMA.)
“This affects property owners, property managers, support staff, and maintenance personnel whose small businesses often make up the backbone of their local communities and provide employment to a large percentage of Florida’s population,” FVRMA wrote in a change.org petition calling for reopening, which has garnered more than 20,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
Vacation rental owners and managers aren’t interested in bunking social distancing standards in the interest of their bottom line. They, like other businesses clamoring to reopen, are ready to do so under increased scrutiny and regulation.
However, it makes little sense to keep them shuttered when hotels, many of which remain closed because they can’t attract the numbers they need to viably stay open, are allowed to continue booking rooms.
Maintaining the executive order closing vacation rentals is not only shortsighted, it picks winners and losers in the hospitality industry with no rhyme or reason.
I appreciate Gov. Desantis’ prudence and caution in his progressive approach to reopening the economy and his careful balance of economy and public health, but continuing to close vacation rentals when the same standard does not apply to high-occupancy hotels is just silly.
Lift the ban, Governor. An entire industry is waiting.
Written By
Sir:
Just my thoughts on your article…
“… but vacation rentals like Airbnb and HomeAway, are most often single occupancy where social distancing is easier and cross contamination of germs less likely.”
Having occupied several hotel and beach houses during my time in Florida, I can tell everyone that there is NO “social distancing” in a shared rental unit. You’re sharing bathrooms, kitchens, porches and balconies. You’re huddled together at the glass dining room table for games of Monopoly and cards.
It only takes ONE guest to enter the rental with a newly acquired dose of Covid-19 to infect the entire unit. Remember, you don’t have to show symptoms in order to pass on the disease.
“Largely, none of that applies to vacation rentals. If they have amenities that would be shared and, thus, unavailable at a multiple-occupancy hotel, they’re for single use and can easily be sterilized in between stays, ensuring safe operating and adherence to CDC recommendations.”
It’s not so much the cleaning ( which is another issue ) in between rentals, it’s what happens DURING the time in the rentals. Besides, you’d have to hose down the entire unit with a solution ( as is being done in the NY subways ). I don’t think the rental owners would appreciate the possible damage.
The same goes for health care and first responders. Recent outbreaks at the mid-west meat packing plants is proving that to be a major issue.
It’s a tough and terrible financial problem. I don’t know if opening shared rentals is the option. It may prove to be, at this time, an unwise effort.
Thank you for listening.
Lee Thomas you are 100% correct on this issue. Short-term rentals are a major risk factor to the health and safety of our residents. Property managers and owners of these units only care about the mortgage that needs to be paid. Not only is the issue with sanitizing the unit itself, what about common areas, hand railings & amenity areas? Whose going to ensure and pay for compliance of CDC sanitization of those areas? I’m sure that the owners of these cash cow properties aren’t going to willingly fork over their $ to ensure that everyone is properly following guidelines. Where I reside property managers & owners have refused to refrain from renting their units out during this lockdown, they certainly aren’t going to adhere to CDC Guidelines pertaining to sanitization of community areas or units. Social distancing has not been followed either & neither have stay at home orders. As a resident of Nassau County I’m tired of the blatant disregard of Executive Orders & CDC Guidelines from short-term rental properties.
We own two Ocean Front Vacation Rental properties in Fernandina Beach Florida. That said, we also have two mortgages that are not going to wait for a virus cure. Vacation Rentals are the definition of “Social Distancing” vacation, everything is pretty much run over the phone or on the web. Why are Vacation Rentals Closed but Hotels are allowed to operate?
Currently, hotels are intended for first responders and frontline staff. Not for people bored and needing a vacation! Vacation rentals are FAR from the definition of social distancing!
I live in Fernandina in a community that allows short-term rentals, there are not staff to wipe down railings, clean amenity areas and so called property managers & property owners have continued to rent their properties through out this shutdown! Obviously without any regard to the health & safety of the full time residents that call this area home. Are you willing to foot the cost of paying for additional staff to ensure that areas that your guest come in contact with are cleaned according to CDC recommendations? Most property owners don’t reside here and could care less who’s coming and going to their property because as you said you have two mortgages to make. Most of these property owners make more than enough money to pay for their mortgages and then some. So if you weren’t saving for a rainy day then that should not be more important than my health and safety. I choose to self isolate as I have health issues that put me at risk. I should be able to open my door without worrying that the constant flow of short-term rental guest across from my unit aren’t infected with Covid-19! We have a low Rate of infection in Fernandina, let’s keep it that way! A few more weeks or a month of lockdown should not be an issue in the interest of public health and when the scientist agree that’s the case.
You seem shortsighted in your view of the potential to spread this virus at short-term rentals. Most short-term rentals are in privately owned condos or villas that don’t have staff to do preventative measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19 like wiping down railings, cleaning activity areas where people are touching surfaces all day and night. I personally live in a development where a majority of realtors that manage these units have continued to rent during the lockdown without any regard for the residents who live here full-time. I disagree with opening up short-term rentals, it’s already a disaster in the making even with the lockdown, I fear that if rentals are opened up we will be inundated with people and the Covid-19! Greed should not overshadow keeping our communities healthy & safe!