Chiwawa River Pines – Vacation Rental Ban Update
Originally reported October 2, 2008
The Chiwawa River Pines neighborhood has recently voted to enforce a covenant that bans vacation rentals in their neighborhood.
According to Al Lorenz of the NCW Real Estate Blog (who is also a board member at Chiwawa River Pines), the neighborhood recently voted to allow “Long Term, low impact, service oriented businesses” and “long-term, residential rentals for a period of more than six (6) consecutive months”.
They are no longer allowing “short-term residential rentals for a period of less than six (6) consecutive months”
Click here to see the voting on the Chiwawa River Pines neighborhood blog
As I have mentioned before in earlier posts about the Chiwawa River Pines vacation rental ban I think this will have a negative effect on sales and property values in the neighborhood.
For those who live in the neighborhood, this may increase their quality of life. I certainly can understand the problems that can come from bad neighbors or bad renters next door.
According to my research of the market on the North Central Washington MLS:
- 8 homes sold in the neighborhood in 2007.
- In 2008 only 1 home has sold so far.
- Currently 1 home is under contract or “pending”.
- 9 homes are currently listed for sale.
- 3 homes have sold in the past 12 months giving us a 3 Years supply of homes
Chiwawa River Pines used to be a desirable neighborhood. How many current vacation rentals are in the neighborhood? How many of these owners will now put their homes on the market?
I count 6 rentals in Chiwawa River Pines on the ComfyCabins website and I know there are plenty more at VRBO.com
Here’s what one owner had to say on my previous post:
I am a new member to the Chiwawa River Pines community and i was not aware of this issue. Should I have reviewed the bylaws, sure, but I also was aware that there were nightly rentals in the area. In general, I understand your points. However, may of us that did not purchase a home 5 or more years ago are paying a pretty penny to find a vacation home in Leavenworth. While we would all likely to be independently wealthy, many of us look to supplement the cost of a mortgage with nightly rental proceeds.
I also believe that the values will decline since you are removing a subset of the buyers from this community. I understand the risks associated with renters, but I have yet to see a detailed list of violations that have caused such a concern. Do you have one? If so, please share.
Why can’t a 2-3 strikes your out policy be implemented. If a home owner’s renters violate the community rules then the owner will be written up and notified. After 2 or 3 issues, their ability to rent will be removed.
What’s next for Chiwawa River Pines?
I expect the next shoe to drop will be litigation. There are rarely big winners when things like this go to court, but I expect it will. Will the HOA sue to enforce the Chiwawa River Pines vacation rental ban? Will they get sued by owners of current vacation rentals?
Did you buy a vacation home in Chiwawa River Pines hoping to use it as a rental to defer costs? Are you considering buying real estate or holding off on your purchase because of this debate?
Update on Vacation Rental Rules
In 2014, the Washington State Supreme Court overturned the Chiwawa River Pines vacation rental ban. In 2021, Chelan County enacted new rules for short term rentals including requiring permits and regulating the total number of vacation rentals.
