Monday, May 24, 2021 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
I’ve been a short-term rental owner for nearly five years and have seen the benefits that these properties provide to our community. In addition to the taxes they bring in, short-term rentals create jobs that have proven to be resilient even throughout the pandemic. When businesses were shuttered, my rentals were able to support local hotel cleaners and other contractors who otherwise would have been out of work.
However, Assembly members Rochelle Nguyen and Tom Roberts have introduced short-term rental regulations (Assembly Bill 363) that, if passed, would threaten the livelihoods of Nevada residents and our economic recovery as a whole. For instance, the bill requires a 500-foot minimum distance between units, which would make many existing properties illegal — stripping away income from homeowners, maintenance workers, landscapers and others who service short-term rentals.
AB363 would also hurt families who are unable to stay in hotels and rely on alternative lodging options. On the first anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017 shooting, I hosted a survivor who wanted to return to Las Vegas for healing but couldn’t stay on the Strip due to her PTSD. My home offered a quiet, safe space for her — and has done so for many other special-needs families over the years.
Short-term rentals fill a critical role in our tourism economy, and any policy proposals should support their ability to responsibly operate. I urge our elected officials to oppose AB363 and find balanced solutions that won’t jeopardize Nevada’s recovery.
