Letter: Stop harassing VHR renters
Publisher’s note: This letter was originally sent to South Lake Tahoe enforcement, chief of police, City Council, and city manager, and then to Lake Tahoe News.
Dear VHR Enforcement Team,
We are in receipt of a fourth “Advisory – Vacation Home Rental Complaint” since the city’s wonderful and effective ordinance which brought South Lake Tahoe national publicity. All four of these complaints were unverified.
Jim Morris
We appreciate any efforts that the city performs in trying to minimize the potential fining of our tenants, but if they cannot verify the complaints of the Nazi-neighbors, we prefer that you have no contact with our clients as the city has done enough damage to our industry that we have been building up for over 35 years. f there is no substantiation of the complaint, please remove yourselves from the area and do not disturb our guests.
If you want to be effective, go knock on the door of the complainant and warn them that filing a false complaint may subject them to a city fine as well as litigation by yours truly. You need to tell the complainant that the enforcement team does not appreciate unverified complaints.
We are the owners of 426 Emerald Drive and contributors to city TOT revenue of $187,000 over a 17-year period without a VHR violation. Not to speak of the over 5,100 guests to our city spending money in grocery stores, restaurants, ski resorts, marinas, gas stations, retail stores, etc.
We are the owners of Lake Tahoe Accommodations and we don’t want any of our guests disturbed in any of our vacation rentals in the city. What is more important, to satisfy the overly sensitive neighbor, or to bring 5,100 guests, families and children, to one of the most beautiful places in the world?
Jim and Melinda Morris
P.S. Does the City Council and the city management understand what you are doing to one of the most productive industries in the South Shore?
Mr. Morris – Your letter is very disturbing and unprofessional! You call someone a Nazi??? What kind of person are you? Apparently you do not indicate to your renters that they are renting in a neighborhood, which has noise and parking restrictions – otherwise, there should be no complaints. Folks who LIVE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of their homes! I do not have a VHR and have not taken a particular stand on the current issue — however, I have heard PLENTY of complaints re VHRs in the Tahoe Keys Neighborhood. And, with a landlord/business owner with such an “entitled” attitude as you have just displayed in your letter, I would not want you or any of your rental units located anywhere near where I live! It does not matter how much money you pay to TOT or how many guests you bring to “one of the most beautiful places in the world” if you and your guests do not respect the rights of people who LIVE here!! Your letter has pushed me to the side who do not want VHRs outside the Tourist Corridor. The current enforcement regarding number of complaints before cancelling a VHR permit, is very generous. I suggest you re-visit this ordinance, and abide by it.
Mr Morris:
I want to thank you for your rant. You have made plain your distain for both the local residents and our local community. You seem to believe that you have more of a right to run your unsupervised properties and make a profit than your neighbors’ right to peace. You have completely ignore that a full time resident in these homes would likely spend more locally and add more to our community than your part time guests and TOT contributions. You have no more rights than those who live here and should certainly have less influence given you don’t live here.
How exactly is anyone to believe the complaints are false when there is no one from your organization onsite to verify your claims that these are false complaints? Do you honestly believe that your neighbors want to spend their personal time calling the police for no reason what-so-ever? Is your business not contacted prior to the police being dispatched? What are the odds that our two or three on-duty police personal will arrive after the complaints have silenced themselves? All of this points to why zoning laws were established. Your glorified motels do not belong in our neighborhoods.
You continue to rant about how bad the residents are here. Maybe it is time for you to move these businesses next to where you live and see how you enjoy having your personal space invaded? Maybe your Grand kids can visit you and enjoy the viewing of naked people frolicking outside your windows in the late hours of the night? Maybe you can experience trying to back out of your driveway only to be blocked by a visiting tour bus dropping off the latest round of guests? Maybe you can discover the fun of watching the maids stop by to clean and observe them stay over several nights because they likely cannot afford a permanent home of their own due to lack of rental properties? Maybe, just maybe, you can rediscover what it is to be a member of a community and not simply a rude complainer.
Sincerely,
Scott Ramirez