The Fairhope City Council will soon be considering an ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals (i.e. stays of less than 30 days) within areas zoned residential within the city of Fairhope. Passage of such an ordinance would be a serious mistake. Short-term furnished rentals are good for Fairhope and should be allowed, not prohibited.

Many people as they travel prefer living in a real house rather than a motel room. If short-term rentals are prohibited in Fairhope’s historic neighborhoods, these people will spend less time here, or go elsewhere. This will be harmful not only for those renting short-term rental housing, but for the shops and restaurants of Fairhope as well.

People coming to enjoy the ambiance of Fairhope on their vacation do not want to be relegated to a commercial zone, and have to get in their car to savor the ambiance of the community. This makes for a less enjoyable visit for them and adds to the congestion and pollution for the residents.

This is one of those “what makes Fairhope Fairhope” issues. Because they are on vacation, short-term renters are more likely to explore the neighborhood, sit on their front porch and engage in social interaction with neighbors. These extra “eyes on the street” will add to the security, as well as to the vitality of our community.

The argument has been made that an ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals is needed to “protect residential areas.” But the fact is that short-term renters are no more likely to be a nuisance than permanent residents. It was also stated during the City Council meeting discussion of this issue that there have been complaints of loud parties at short-term rental houses. It is more likely that loud parties will be hosted by permanent residents than by visitors passing through on vacation.

The suggestion that short-term visitors will bring “noise, vandalism and trash” is ridiculous. We own three short-term rental houses and never have our guests caused any vandalism in the community or contributed any trash to the yards or sidewalks in the area. Short-term tenants have almost always been better neighbors than many of the long-term tenants we have had. If the City Council members want to protect and do the right thing for the neighborhoods, they should allow short-term rentals to continue.

Another reason for allowing short-term rentals has to do with the financial well-being of Fairhope and its tax payers. Short-term renters staying less than a month pay a lodging tax of 2 percent to the city. (The state has a lodging tax of 4 percent on stays of less than six months.) If short-term rentals are prohibited in our historic neighborhoods, these tax revenues will disappear. This would require either an increase in the tax burden of city residents, or a cutback of city services.

Many people who are now residents of Fairhope came for a visit, staying at a short-term, furnished rental house. Because of their stay here, they fell in love with the community and decided to buy or build a home here, and in some cases open a business. It would be a shame if we were to discourage such people from coming to Fairhope.