A quick note to those looking to rent a vacation rental in Maui.  Though vacation rentals can sometimes be the best option as far as price and privacy, not all Maui vacation rentals are created equally.  PLEASE, do not rent illegal TVR’s.  An illegal transient vacation rental is a home that is being rented to Maui visitors without getting the required permitting.  Yes, it’s very difficult to get the legal permitting, and some homes are great candidates to be legal Maui vacation rentals, but just haven’t gotten everything signed and passed through.  But many illegal rentals couldn’t get the permitting due to upset neighbors.  This is where you need to concern yourself with these rentals.  You don’t want to rent a home or condo and have pissed off neighbors for your whole vacation.  It can ruin your trip, and further annoy local residents.

Below we’ve copied a few letters we’ve gotten from a concerned Maui resident about these rentals.  Please read it and continue to be respectful to our local people.  MAHALO!

Thank you for your time to allow me to express my feelings. This issue is very political and is starting to get heated up within Maui Meadows in Kihei, so let me apologize for the lengthy reply.

As always, there are two sides to all issues and you will only get mine on this open letter. So, for what it’s worth, I happen to live next to an illegal TVR and a legal B&B. I know this issue is often confrontational, and for those who do not live next to them, they do not know what it is like, and either do not have my noise issue, or like the fact that they can rent to vacationers to get money, but none of that money ever gets to the county.

Let me say this, I understand some tourists like to live in a home that has 4 bedrooms. The fact is, four families can get in on it, so that a $5,000.00 per week rental, only costs $1,250.00 per couple. It costs a lot more if they stay at a Condo or Hotel, yet when they do stay at a condo or hotel, local jobs are created, and revenue is paid to the county from taxes that go for services.

The problem is when multiple families do this, many times they come into a quiet neighborhood and disturb everyone…I live in Maui Meadows and since they are on vacation, they forget they are in a neighborhood, so I end up living their vacation with all the late night partying and the keiki’s getting up at 6AM and screaming out Marco Polo in the pool. Now not all vacationers are like this so don’t think everyone is, but over the last four years I have lived in Maui Meadows, too many are!!!

As the rent for these TVR’s go out over the internet, no money is seen by Maui County in tax revenue, and it does not promote any local jobs and only puts money into the hands of the owners and the MVRA who manage some of them. The homeowners who rent their homes lie by claiming their 300K personal home deduction by saying they live there full time, and some of these properties are owned by corporations. All of this is illegal, but it is the real estate agents and the MVRA that have started all of this by promoting the homes as investments, and shows them how to pocket big money and not give any to the county in the way of taxes. These owners promote their sites on line to perspective renters. So their theory is…if you post it…they will come, and they do!

I want tourists to come to Maui. We are a tourist economy, but for the locals like myself who live there, is it fair that we be on vacation with them? I want a quiet neighborhood to live in. I did not ask the homes around me to become hotels. I pay my tax and should be entitled to my enjoyment of life. Just because some want to cheat the county and make money…I don’t! I just want to live in peace and quiet.

If we want real growth in Maui, expansion of local jobs, and increased taxes to the county in order to provide better services to its residents and communities, then we need to make sure we have our visitors stay in licensed hotels and condos that have to pay the transient rental tax. It is these hotels and condos that hire the locals for full time jobs. If we are to have TVR’s then they have to be regulated. They have to pay the tax to the county, and the county needs to regulate them so they do not create noise pollution in the neighborhoods. The owners should be required to have someone live on site to keep the peace and quiet at all times, and the county should go after all illegal TVR’s and shut them down for failing to pay taxes. If the county wants to have TVR’s, establish a number, regulate them, tax them and do the right thing by making sure they are regulated. Those who violate too many times should then get shut down and fined.

One thing you could do is to inform those who are coming to Maui and end up renting illegal TVR’s to remind them that they are moving into a residential neighborhood for the one or two weeks they are there. Some people like me who have to get up at 5AM to work do not want to be kept up to 2AM listening to them being on vacation. I get it…they are on vacation, but I am not. I am sure they would not like it if someone rented next to them and did what they are doing in their neighborhood.

Sorry to make this so long, but the last 4 years have been very frustrating. It is killing my dream of living on Maui.

A good deal of people do not know about this. They don’t have sympathy to a sensitive issue, and most do not not really understand the depth of the problem. Some are very angry about this as we are trying to take a lot of money out of their pockets. A couple of these people are making under a million dollars a year, so you can imagine if they got shut down!

So yes, I do not want any repercussion by my name being attached only to find out someone is looking to hurt me, or damage my property. As you know, Maui is still a very good ole boy town. The shame is that for those who do not live next to TVR’s, there is no issue. The fact that money does not get to the county for jobs and other services does not bother them. They just complain that there are no jobs on Maui and do nothing about it. If they could spend a couple days in my shoes, they would all be up in arms against TVR’s. Until they are effected like I am, they do not see it my way.

I have to believe that visitors want our Island to be stable and see our local people have jobs. Without that, the Maui experience is dead. Maui is a great Island for both visitors and residents. If we can get our story out, maybe some would be sympathetic and try to keep their noise down should they rent legal or illegal homes. For those who want to party hard into the night, well there are hotels and condos for that.

All we ask all visitors for is their Kokua, and to respect our Mana… When their vacation is over, some local residents do not get any rest. Another visitor begins their vacation as soon as the last ones check out, and they check in.