Updated on January 2, 2024
Even if you live hundreds or thousands of miles away from your short-term rental, you can still influence regulatory and advocacy outcomes in the community where your rental property is located.
In a session at the winter 2023 RR Summit, Paul Seago, Director of Government Affairs at Expedia Group; Alexa Nota, COO at Rent Responsibly; and Dana Lubner, Director of Community Development at Rent Responsibly, spoke on a panel called Advocating from Afar: the 5 Ts of Remote Activism.
Together, they shared tried-and-true strategies for influencing positive regulatory outcomes and participating in other advocacy efforts from anywhere in the world.
“Advocacy is working on your business, creating that environment, that positive environment for regulation in the city where your rental is,” Paul said, “and that’s as much work – if not more – than the work you do in the business.”
These “Five Ts” will get you started on your remote activism journey.
To watch the entire session, join or log into the RR Network BETA and head to the Replays & Downloads library.
Testimony: Share your STR story
Everybody’s got a story, and your story can have a powerful influence on how others in the community view short-term rentals.
Share your experience and reasons for hosting and for choosing the city where you host with elected officials and other influential people in the community. This could happen during a public comment period for an ordinance under consideration at City Council or in writing an email to an elected official.
“Your story as a short-term rental owner can be so impactful when you’re talking to elected officials,” Paul said.
Other ways you can share your story are through talking to the media, writing an op-ed or letter to the editor, and storytelling on social media.
For expert tips on how to speak in front of others, watch our webinar, “From nervous to natural: Unleash your inner speaker,” by joining or logging into the RR Network and heading to the Replays & Downloads library.
Contribute your time and talent
Volunteering your time and talent is a great way to support better outcomes for short-term rentals, including yours. This could mean joining the board of your local short-term rental alliance or helping out on a special project, event, or campaign that supports STRs, or your community.
“Your unique skills and perspective can contribute to positive outcomes for your short-term rental community,” Dana said. “You don’t have to live locally to serve in a leadership capacity.”
“Look through your resume and look for those professional skills that could be contributed to some sort of need that your alliance might have,” Alexa said, “and … if there isn’t an alliance, consider helping to start one.”
For example, you could help out on a membership drive for your local alliance or do research on local regulations or market trends for the alliance. Other skills that can benefit alliances include website management, graphic design, accounting, policy or legal analyses, social media marketing, and fundraising.
Leverage your network ties
Advocacy is more powerful in numbers, so build and leverage as many relationships as you can with people in the community who have common interests whether that be short-term renting or operating a business that counts STR guests as customers.
“It could be the folks that you’ve hired locally to clean or to repair or to beautify your home,” Paul said. “It could be local businesses that you deal with. If there’s a local, really cool store in town, get gift bags or something else that you leave for your guests. Go try to bring them into this conversation. The businesses that get business from your guests are a great source of advocacy as you’re talking through what regulation looks like.”
For more ways to support local businesses and create a great guest experience at the same time, join or log into the RR Network and check out the article “How to create a great guest experience through local businesses.”
Look also at your grasstops connections, those in your network who may carry some influence in a regulatory discussion, such as elected officials at higher levels of government or leaders of local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce.
Contribute your treasure: Donations and sponsorships
Local alliances can’t run on volunteer hours alone, so consider making a financial contribution to help support the work they do. This can include something like becoming a paid member of the alliance or sponsoring specific initiatives or events. For example, you could sponsor an economic impact study by making a financial contribution or donate a prize for a drawing for new members to encourage sign-ups.
You also can have an influence by donating money to pro-STR candidates for elected office or to local community organizations. Contributing to local community organizations strengthens your community ties and “enhances the overall influence and the perception of short-term rentals in your community,” Dana said.
“Think of supporting a local charity or community development project,” she said. “You can do this on behalf of the alliance and in your name, and this is going to foster a harmonious relationship between the alliance and this organization, or this organization gets to understand the value that short-term rentals are bringing to their cause.”
Bonus: To hear about the return you get on your investment in advocacy, watch the recap in the RR Network beginning at 32:40.
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