Darren Tivnan (Photo provided)

Darren Tivnan (Photo provided)

Point of View: The joys of finding an apartment in Homer

Life here is fantastic until you venture into finding accommodation

Homer is a pleasant town with more than its fair share of great amenities, including good schools, accessible health care, and unique shops and restaurants. There is adequate employment, a spotless public swimming pool and scenic walks including a beach with access to the public. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, with a pleasing undercurrent of sophistication.

Life here is fantastic until you venture into finding accommodation, and that’s where the difficulties begin for someone wanting to reside in this hamlet. The lack of available housing is daunting, and heavily associated with the escalation in vacation rentals. The harmful effects could be lessened by licensing and appropriately taxing this growing industry.

Airbnb and Vrbo have taken off in the area, with many residents benefiting greatly from the economic benefits of leasing their property to visitors. Numerous apartments have been withdrawn from the residential market due to the lucrative nightly rates available from vacation rentals. Accommodation shortages place local businesses under tremendous stress during the summer months, with employees leaving town frustrated over the lack of housing. This regularly leads to unplanned closures and irregular hours, inconveniencing both locals and visitors.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

While it is understandable to develop further sources of revenue for the community, particularly in light of the uncertainties surrounding the fishing industry, this income comes at a cost in ways not often discussed. As mentioned, one of the unwelcome side effects of owner-leased vacation rentals appear as rental accommodation shortages (Homer City Hall, 2022). Not only is the practice consuming previously rented apartments and homes, but as a consequence, the rents of the remaining units are rising dramatically due to obvious supply and demand factors.

Anyone who has recently moved to town, who lives in a building being sold or converted into a summer rental, can testify to the difficulty in finding a residence. The profits are such that many outside enterprises have begun buying up local property, and offering these homes as vacation rentals. There are more than 2,000 active short-term rentals on the Kenai Peninsula, with around 31,000 total housing units. Anchorage also has just over 2,000 short-term rentals, but Anchorage’s entire housing stock is approximately 118,000 (KDLL).

Other cities and towns across the country have encountered these same issues and are taking action to reduce the resulting housing shortages, which primarily affect those on lower incomes. The overhead in running an Airbnb are minimal compared to that of a hotel or B & B, and they provide little employment or other services in comparison. Planning and tax changes could be shaped by successful actions in other cities, who have stemmed the flow of new and existing developments being predominantly tailored toward short-term rental accommodation.

While increased taxes and licensing mandates are never popular, the losses in rental accommodations are associated with direct financial and social impacts in other areas of the community. An inability to source staff lowers business output, and the stress placed on those searching for housing is troubling. While arguments such as “the more we build, the more people will come” have their place, the fact that staff cannot be sourced for long-term existing businesses is telling. The considerable revenue being generated by seasonal rentals, combined with the relatively low overheads and small staffing needs, should contribute in a way that reflects this reality.

If you would like to learn more, visit the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District’s 2023 Industry Outlook Forum, to be held 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at Christian Community Church, 3838 Bartlett Street.

Darren Tivnan is an accomplished drifter and a proficient carpenter who is currently enrolled at the Kachemak Bay Campus in pursuit of a new career. This essay was written for Fundamentals of Oral Communication, a class taught by Heather Kallevig at the Kachemak Bay Campus, Kenai Peninsula College, University of Alaska Anchorage.

More in Opinion

Dick Maitland, a foley artist, works on the 46th season of “Sesame Street” at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ariana McLaughlin/The New York Times)
Opinion: Trump’s embarrassing immaturity Republicans won’t acknowledge

Sullivan should be embarrassed by the ignorance and immaturity the president is putting on display for the world to see.

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop and Gov. Mike Dunleavy discuss his veto of an education bill during a press conference March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Strong policy, proven results

Why policy and funding go hand in hand.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski speaks on a range of subjects during an interview with the Juneau Empire in May 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The Jones Act — crass protectionism, but for whom?

Alaska is dependent on the few U.S.-built ships carrying supplies from Washington state to Alaska.

Cook Inlet can be seen at low tide from North Kenai Beach on June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Solving the Cook Inlet gas crisis

While importing LNG is necessary in the short term, the Kenai Peninsula is in dire need of a stable long-term solution.

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet are dragged up onto the beach at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Creating opportunities with better fishery management

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)
Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 1. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Keep Alaska open for business

Our job as lawmakers is to ensure that laws passed at the ballot box work effectively on the ground.

Brooke Walters. (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: A student’s letter to the governor

Our education funding is falling short by exuberant amounts.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Compromise, not games

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Most Read