Looking for a Honolulu Airbnb Away From Resorts? You’re Required To Stay 90 Days or More

If you were planning on saving some money on your month-long trip to Honolulu by staying in a well-priced Airbnb, you’re out of luck. In an attempt to further discourage short-term rentals, the local government recently passed a law that bans booking short-term rentals like Airbnb for less than 90 days. Previously, the rule was 30 days.

“Short-term rentals are disruptive to the character and fabric of our residential neighborhoods; they are inconsistent with the land uses that are intended for our residential zoned areas and increase the price of housing for Oahu’s resident population by removing housing stock from the for-sale and long-term rental markets,” the bill states. “The City Council finds that any economic benefits of opening up our residential areas to tourism are far outweighed by the negative impacts to our neighborhoods and local residents.”

The ban will come into effect beginning October 23. There is one caveat: It doesn’t apply to rentals in hotspot resort areas like Ko Olina, Turtle Bay, and parts of Waikiki. Honolulu isn’t the first place in the country that’s turned on short-term rentals. Airbnb crackdowns have been considered as early as 2016 in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles because short-term rentals can raise prices and limit housing options for residents.

“This is about protecting our place. First and foremost, this is about getting our residential neighborhoods back. Our neighborhoods have clearly been disrupted by the thousands of vacation rentals that have operated outside of the designated resort areas,” Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement on April 26. “This is a form of managing tourism, but it’s also about getting housing back on the market and protecting the natural resources on O’ahu for decades to come.”

Of course, if you can make a 90-day or more trip to Hawaii work, there’s no way it isn’t worth it.