In all the discussions of renting rooms to tourists, I have yet to see any consideration for senior citizens. My husband and I live in a large home in Central Oahu. We would love nothing more than to host a visitor now and then. Not only would it help us a bit financially, but it would give us some company and contact with a larger world than we presently have.

They would be visiting us in the home we live in and I don’t see it to be any more frequent than once or twice a month at the most for maybe just a couple of days. We would certainly pay our excise tax as required on property rentals and include any additional income in our income tax.

However, the only way that such short-term rentals in private residential homes is being considered, is to raise our property tax for a whole year to match that of a hotel or full-time vacation rental business, where the sole purpose is to run a full-time tourist business. This would not be the same as a senior citizen who welcomes guests now and then, maybe 20-30 days a year. If we did decide to do this, as a means to earn a little extra income and have some company, the proposed fines would put us in an impossible predicament.

We are already claiming our reduced property tax as senior citizens, and as property tax is raised higher and higher each year, it is truly becoming a hardship for those on a fixed income to cover our taxes and remain in our homes. It seems that we would be placed in the same category as hotels and vacation rentals businesses when we are not. We are talking about a few days of short term rental of a room in our own home, which would fall far short of tourist business.

I believe that as we are already registered as senior citizens, it wouldn’t be a problem to waive such additional property taxes for seniors who wish to have a paid guest now and then. The advantage of this would be a great help to seniors both financially and socially.

I don’t think our taking in guests now and then would have much effect on the hotel and overall tourist industry or the local housing market. It would be an opportunity for guests to have a personal home experience with a local family. I think it would appeal to senior citizens and others traveling on a low budget. If this could be considered, I would support a limit on the number of days per year we would be allowed to have paying guests. This would control anyone in the senior category from running a full-time business under the mantle of being a senior citizen.

As we would be occupying the home at all times, and have sufficient off-street parking for another car, there is no way that such quests would be a problem for the neighbors or the neighborhood anymore that our visiting friends and family members would be. Nowhere have I seen any mention of the role senior members in our community could play in offering an alternative experience for those visitors who might enjoy such a home stay.

Let’s hear some positive support for our senior citizens without bleeding us dry with additional property taxes and fearful fines, by creating a special category for us to fill this small, but special niche. I think this would be a win-win situation for our elders and our local communities. Where this is a will, there is a way.