TRUCKEE/TAHOE — Local vacation rental business owners are distancing themselves from restrictions like billing homeowners for law enforcement calls and banning minimum stay requirements, which are being considered in other parts of California.

“It could probably kill us in terms of desirability,” said Charles White, owner/broker of Donner Lake Realty based in Truckee. “Who would buy a vacation place if they couldn't rent it?”

Similar restrictions have not passed in Incline Village, and are being considered by Santa Cruz County supervisors as well as areas in Southern California. The proposals being considered ask landlords to pay for the cost of law enforcement responses when problems arise, according to reports by the Associated Press, and ban big events like wedding receptions and eliminate requirements that guests stay at least one week.

Gordon Meyer, owner of vacation rentals based in Incline Village, agreed with White's assessment of the impact on real estate.

“It would have a negative effect on property values,” said Meyer. “If owners can't get sufficient rental income, they won't be able to sell it as a potential rental property.”

Meyer said if the local communities around the lake were not so dependent upon tourist dollars, regulations might not be as potentially harmful to business owners.

“It affects everything,” said Meyer.

Meyer said responding to noise complaints or late-night parties is part of what residents pay law enforcement to do.

Nevertheless, he believes it is up to individual property owners to carefully screen renters.

“You have to rent to responsible parties,” he said.

White said the people responsible for having the police come to the property — the tenants — should be accountable for reimbursement of law enforcement should any penalties be incurred.

“The people that created the crime should pay,” he said.

Both Meyer and White said occasions of excessive parties, noise or criminal behavior are rare in Truckee/Tahoe, and usually happen around holiday weekends such as July 4, when such activities are not unique to vacation destinations.

“We would be hurting ourselves to allow things to get out of control,” said White.

Washoe County nuisance ordinance

Washoe County commissioners passed a nuisance ordinance in October of 2009 that removed language that allowed vacation rentals to be seen as violations of the law.

The vacation rental language in the ordinance consisted of a single sentence.

“The public nuisances at issue focus generally on the consequences of intense vacation home and rental land uses as well as abuses produced at times by the entertainment and recreation industries,” stated Section 8 of the ordinance, which was summarily removed after pressure from the Incline real estate community.

“By having the language, it opens the door,” said Jim Nadeau, Incline Village Board of Realtors government affairs director, back in October.

County Commissioner John Breternitz, who represents Incline Village, led the charge to have the language removed.