Idaho short-term rental bill runs counter to Trump’s housing policy | Opinion

President Donald Trump recently proclaimed that “we want homes for people, not for corporations.” He wants to “stop Wall Street from treating America’s neighborhoods like a trading floor” and “promote sales to individual owner-occupants.” Yet Idaho now faces a decision that runs directly counter to those goals.

The Idaho Legislature has passed HB 583, a sweeping short-term rental bill that now sits on Gov. Brad Little’s desk. If signed into law, the measure would further restrict local oversight of vacation rentals and make it easier for large investors and commercial operators to convert Idaho homes into short-term rentals. At a time when leaders across the country are trying to expand homeownership opportunities, HB 583 risks pushing Idaho in the opposite direction.

Here are the facts that President Trump and Congressional Republicans are staring down as they focus on making home ownership more affordable: The share of Americans owning a home has not climbed in five years. Today, many younger families can’t afford a starter home. In the 1980s, the typical first-time homebuyer was in their late 20s; now they are nearly 40. In the country’s 50 largest metro regions, only 3.1% of people under the age of 30 have a mortgage. The situation in Idaho is especially acute. with home prices doubling in the past ten years to a median price of over $500,000. The state is facing a deficit of over 44,500 homes.

Trump has vowed “America will not become a nation of renters,” but as he and Congressional Republicans work to combat these headwinds, Idaho lawmakers are considering a vacation rental bill that would further restrict local control of short-term rentals and attract more out-of-state investment in Idaho’s single-family homes, limiting the supply for Idaho families.

Once upon a time, short-term rental platforms like Airbnb featured a large collection of granny flats. No longer. These platforms are now dominated by commercial operators with large portfolios of properties, with more than 75% of short-term rentals in Idaho commercially operated, according to AirDNA, a leading short-term rental analytics firm. In short, throwing open the floodgates for short-term rentals is a direct invitation to out-of-state funds to come in and snap up Idaho’s residential housing. In the process, the dream of home ownership will be pushed further out-of-reach for Idaho’s working families.

Arizona serves as an excellent case study, and a cautionary tale. Republican leadership there passed a similar vacation rental preemption bill in 2016, only to reverse course and roll back many of its provisions in 2022 after absolutely disastrous impacts on Arizona residents. Idaho would be wise to learn from this exercise.

Idaho’s leadership has recognized the pressures facing working families. Just last year, Little provided more than $100 million in property tax relief, building on existing homestead exemptions to help Idaho homeowners. Those efforts were designed to support families trying to remain in their homes and communities.

HB 583 runs directly counter to those goals. Instead of helping working families compete in Idaho’s housing market, the bill would make it easier for out-of-state investors and commercial operators to acquire residential properties for short-term rentals.

Little now has the opportunity to ensure Idaho remains a place where homes are primarily for families — not investment portfolios. He should veto HB 583.

Franklin Coley is the president of the Alliance for Stronger Communities.