License B&Bs, don't crack down

I am a B&B rental owner in Kailua. I was surprised to see Councilwoman Barbara Marshall on KITV4 calling for a crackdown on illegal vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts. 

I was surprised because just recently I testified before Marshall and Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz about my experience in the B&B business and find the comments as reported by KITV4 a political reversal of what we discussed at the meetings.

I talked about the many community benefits of the B&Bs and the absence of real neighborhood objections. Both council members seemed most receptive to the notion of bringing regulation to this important segment of our tourism community. Like others in attendance at the council meeting, I am offended by being called "illegal" when I am just "unlicensed," at no fault of my own since there is no licensing process in place to become legal.

We B&B owners are legal in the sense of having registered our business names, paying annual licensing fees and submitting reports; we pay our excise and transient accommodation taxes. 

As was clear at the meeting on this subject, the city will not get rid of vacation rentals or B&Bs, so the better option is to find a way to regulate and license them as they are not going to just go away.

The bigger problem is that there is no licensing system in place for B&Bs or vacation rentals today. That is what they should be spending their time working on, rather than attacking the owners and business operators.

In my testimony, I explained that there are significant numbers of visitors who prefer the rural, quiet settings such as Kailua. The news media spend considerable time in exploiting the problems of a few. If we were "legal," the city would have an avenue to inspect, cite and fine the problem rentals.

The visitors I see seek out the B&Bs, not the other way around, to enjoy the secluded quiet environment that hotels do not offer. They have been there and now are looking for a quieter, more peaceful experience in Hawai'i. Surely, as a state that relies on tourism as its No. 1 economic livelihood, we should be more accommodating.

Vacation rentals and B&Bs are a thriving part of the tourism industry and co-exist very well in communities all over the world. They bring jobs to our community and money into our local establishments. What is needed here is a sound public policy, not political posturing.

I hope Councilwoman Marshall will reconsider her stance of "cracking down" on the industry and instead focus her energies on finding a way to license and regulate this vital segment of our community.

Kerry L. Gellert