When Homes Turn Into Motels

Why is it so hard to find an affordable home to buy? Multiple Kitsap and Mason County residents have written to me about the number of short-term rentals next door that are not owner occupied. This is known as STR IIs. I have heard this same story again and again.

Across much of these counties, there are now more homes listed as short-term rentals than homes for sale. Every house turned into a full-time vacation rental is one less home for a family, a worker, or a first-time buyer. That is a major reason for how housing shortages happen.

Not all short-term rentals are the problem. Owner-occupied rentals matter. These are called STR Is. If you live in the home and rent a room or an ADU, an accessory dwelling unit like a backyard cottage or basement apartment, you are adding housing, not removing it.

The real issue is non-owner-occupied rentals, STR II's. These are entire houses run like motels. They pull homes out of the market and change residential neighborhoods.

This cuts across politics. Rural conservatives do not want hotels next door. Progressives see housing access shrinking. Property-rights voters hate selective enforcement. Moderates see common-sense zoning ignored.

The Legislature is considering bills HB2559 and SB5576 that allow local governments to tax short-term rentals. That might help make Short Term Rentals less appealing, but taxes alone miss the point. Once a county depends on that revenue, the incentive shifts from fixing the problem to keeping the revenue.

There is also a bigger flaw hiding in the bills. A 30-day rule that comes from hotel tax law is not housing reality. It lets homes operate like short-term rentals while dodging regulation, and it pulls owner-occupied homes into rules that do not fit them.

The fix is simple. If you live in the home (STR I) , it should not matter how long someone rents a room or an ADU. That is housing. If you do not live there and the property operates like a motel (STR II), it is a business and should be treated like one.

We do not have a housing crisis because people will not build. We have one because too many homes are being pulled out of residential use.

Call to action

If you care about housing availability, now is the moment to speak up. These bills are still active, and legislators are reviewing public comments.

• HB 2559 (House bill) - leave a comment here:https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB2559/2025

• SB 5576 (Senate bill) - leave a comment here:https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/SB5576/2025

Tell lawmakers this clearly: regulate based on use and occupancy, not booking tricks. Exempt STR1s, owner-occupied homes and ADUs. Treat non-owner-occupied vacation rentals, STR IIs, like the businesses they are.

Homes should be homes.