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My wife and I have owned a condo in Maalaea since 2010. For a few years, we did rent the unit out to vacationers. However, for the last seven years, we have not rented the unit out and live in it for at least six months each year.
We were classified as an apartment until two years ago, when the county arbitrarily changed our designation to vacation rental even though we do not rent.
There was no consideration given for actual use. We treat our unit like our home in the way it is decorated and our personal items, not to mention our insurance coverage.
Now, due to our "paper" designation of short-term/vacation rental, we are being pressured to rent our home out to displaced folks from Lahaina.
While we sympathize with the folks in this situation, our unit is not set up to be a rental.
Plus, we cannot give up our home for up to 24 months.
There needs to be reasonable exemptions made for people that are in our category who were caught up in the county's unfair thirst for money.
Rick Smith
Wailuku