EQUALITY
TAKING A BITE OUT OF THE HOUSING CRUNCH
MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
Short-term rentals and vacation homes are driving affordable housing shortages in many destinations. To help alleviate these housing crunches, consider where you stay and find places that support the people in the communities that you visit. Mammoth Lakes, California, shows how vacation homes can become first homes for the people working in town.
What's
changing
Many resort towns have housing markets that lack adequate supplies of homes that workers can afford to rent, much less buy. Pressure is mounting to help workers find local housing in areas that are dominated by vacant vacation or second homes.
What's already
possible
In Mammoth Lakes, 60% of the housing stock is second homes; more than 80% of these are vacant most of the year. The town has implemented a matching service to open new housing options to pre-qualified renters and give peace of mind to homeowners who are willing to rent their vacation homes.
Seizing
the opportunity
The housing program is managed by the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce. Housing providers can submit applications with information about their available properties. When a potential renter from the town’s pool is interested in a property, the chamber connects that person to the property owner following background and credit checks. The two parties directly negotiate rental costs, lease terms and conditions.
Standout
tactic
The program specifies that rental listings must be priced below 3,500 U.S. dollars per month. To be considered, renters must be employed locally or have a local job offer. The matching program is not available to remote workers who want to relocate to Mammoth Lakes.
How
it helps
Since 2019, 1,207 renters have signed up for the program. It has made 70 successful matches so far and over 250 residents have gone through the credit and background checks. Due to the success of the program, the Town of Mammoth Lakes recently committed US$450,000 to fund a “Lease to Locals” program. Administered by Placemate, Inc., the initiative gives owners incentives to convert vacant or short term properties into homes for the local workforce.
Diving
deeper
Can rental caps in programs like this provide a sufficient range of affordable housing for local workers, or does it risk still excluding those most in need?
Increasing
impact
This kind of program could provide financial incentives to property owners to encourage greater participation and increase the quantity of available housing options.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
