Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow (left) and Sedona Housing Manager Shannon Boone | Sedonaz.gov / LinkedIn
Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow (left) and Sedona Housing Manager Shannon Boone | Sedonaz.gov / LinkedIn
Sedona’s measure to pay homeowners to “rent local” made national headlines in 2022, but an analysis by Yavapai News shows only one homeowner has been paid during the nine-month existence of the program.
On August 19, 2022, the Sedona City Council unanimously approved the 'Rent Local' program, "in which homeowners of registered short-term rentals who provide at least a one-year lease to a local worker (or a qualifying displaced long-term resident) can receive a cash incentive to not only "rent local," but also to refrain from short-term rental for one year," says the city's website.
“The city council approved a $240,000 program earlier this week that would incentivize homeowners to lease out their homes to local workers because of a lack of affordable housing. According to data from the city, only 4% of total dwelling units in the city are apartments - drastically below the 16% average in the state,” reported Fox 10 Phoenix on August 11, 2022.
“Sedona is one of a handful of communities across the US adopting this approach,” reported Business Insider.
The New York Post reported that the “program will pay $3,000 to those renting smaller units (such as single bedrooms in a shared home) and $10,000 for those renting out larger properties to remove their listings from short-term rental sites, including Airbnb and Vrbo, and instead rent to workers in the immediate community for at least a year at a time.”
Data obtained by Yavapai News under the Freedom Information Act show that, as of April 21, 2023 six homeowners have ever applied to the “Rent Local” program, with one receiving approval and a cash incentive as part of the program. A total of $4,250 has been paid out.
A January 2023 Business Insider story reported that only three homeowners had applied at that time, with only one receiving approval. Despite this, Boone told the publication that the small amount of applicants “is not a sign of failure.”
"We thought, at best, we would get 35 units over the course of a year," Boone said. "The program is going as expected."
Four months later, while the number of applicants has doubled, there is still only one program recipient.
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How many homeowners have applied for, and received funding, as part of Sedona's "Rent Local" program?
*Data provided by city of Sedona to Yavapai News under the Freedom of Information Act
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