Colorado’s Seething Short-Term Rental Hosts

Consider this a precursor for a larger story later, but as someone who tracks short-term rentals, I find the events unfolding in Colorado nail-biting. 

On one hand, you have Summit County set to extend its Lease to Locals program, aimed at converting short-term rentals into long-term housing, with hopes of keeping current tenants in place, subject to funding availability. That's one of the multiple ways in which local governments have tried to stymie rent hikes and protect the interests of local residents. 

And on the other, its multiple vacation rental associations, which include property managers and host-homeowners, and they are preparing for a lengthy litigation battle against the county’s short-term rental ordinances. 

Let’s unpack this. 

Summit County in Colorado is among the mountainous regions of the state that witnessed the influx of highly-paid remote workers. They transformed these mountain suburbs into