(BIVN) – An upcoming, online informational briefing will be held about a potential registration process for hosted Transient Vacation Rentals (TVR) and hosting platforms in Hawai‘i County.

County officials say the registration “is intended to provide a clearer understanding of the scale and presence of vacation rentals across the island and ensure that all TVR are operating within current legal guidelines”, according to a news release. 

The briefing will be held via Zoom on Thursday, April 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. HST. The meeting will be co-hosted by Council Members Heather Kimball and Ashley Kierkiewicz, and it will be recorded and made available for later viewing. Participants must register in advance at hawaiicountytar.com to receive a unique Zoom login.

From the County news release:

The proposed legislation focuses exclusively on the registration of hosting platforms as and TVRs, including their operational status. It does not include any changes to operational standards, land use regulation, or regulatory enforcement measures. Unhosted TVRs are already registered with the County and would not be subject to the initial registration process but would be subject to an annual renewal.

This effort is in response to the feedback from the community and Council Members on previous efforts to address TVRs and builds on the adoption of Reso. 556-24, which tasked the County’s Dept. of Research & Development (R&D) to conduct an economic impact analysis of vacation rentals on Hawai‘i Island. R&D contracted Hunden Partners, a firm experienced in similar studies across the State, to carry out the analysis.

“It was clear from our past work on Bill 121 that we were trying to accomplish too much with one bill and we also needed more information for certain aspects of it,” says Kimball. “Creating this registration process, in combination with the study, will help the Council make more informed decisions about any future legislation regarding where TVRs are permitted and any changes to operational standards.”

During the briefing, Council Members will review the proposed legislation, discuss timelines and outline the scope of the R&D study. Community members are encouraged to share their input for the study through surveys for both residents and TVR operators (hosted and unhosted).

The news release included links to two surveys:

• Resident Survey 
• TVR Operators Survey – hosted and unhosted – to complete.

“Survey responses will provide a greater clarity on the extent of existing TVRs, which will help inform the scope of future policies and legislation around vacation rentals in Hawai‘i County,” the news release stated.