Beautiful Lake Arrowhead draws tourists from around the world. These tourists often rent homes in the scenic Arrowhead Woods neighborhood, where they can access the lake with ease.

However, the influx of short term renters poses a question to the residents of Lake Arrowhead: Should short term renters be granted access to the lake, even though they’re not members of the Arrowhead Lake Association (ALA)

Arrowhead Lake Association

Arrowhead Lake Association protects and operates Lake Arrowhead . This organization preserves the alpine lake and oversees a wide range of recreational facilities. To partake in everything Lake Arrowhead has to offer, you must first become an ALA member. 

ALA Membership allows Arrowhead Woods residents to take full advantage of the ALA’s boating, fishing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, and paddleboarding activities. To qualify for membership, residents must pay an annual fee and follow the ALA guidelines and rules

Upon membership, residents are granted voting rights on all ALA matters. They’re also free to enjoy Lake Arrowhead docks, shoreline, lake, marina, parks, and beach club, depending on their level of membership:

  • General Membership
  • Beach Club Membership
  • Dock/slip right Membership

Should Short Term Renters Have Access to Lake Arrowhead?

Many ALA members rent out their homes through services like Airbnb and VRBO. These services attract short term renters, who typically rent for less than 30 days at a time. 

There are currently no specific ALA bylaws on whether these renters should be given access to their landlord’s ALA membership privileges. 

Due to this ambiguity, the ALA’s Board of Directors has decided that it’s time to define the rules on short term renter access. The ALA members are scheduled to vote on the issue. There are two sides to this argument to consider, both having valid points and concerns. 

Proposed Amendmendments to ALA’s Bylaws

The vote on short term renter access will take place between March 13th, 2020 and April 10th, 2020. The vote will determine which bylaw amendments will be implemented: 

  • Proposed Bylaw Amendment #1 – Restrict access to short term renters. 
  • Proposed Bylaw Amendment #2 Allow complete access to short term renters except for the use of powerboats. 

Let’s delve into the pros and cons of opening up Lake Arrowhead and its facilities to short term renters.

The Case for Excluding Short Term Renters

Since membership is a privilege, it comes with a level of responsibility. However, short term renters don’t bear any of that responsibility, as they don’t pay fees and may not fully understand the rules and regulations. 

There are some concerns amongst ALA members that renters won’t properly respect the facilities. Since renters don’t pay their dues and have fewer ties to the community, they may be more likely to cause damage. This could increase the need for costly repairs, cleaning services, and other additional maintenance. 

Should the ALA be forced to eat the cost of short term renters’ damage? Should official ALA members be forced to accept short term renters’ presence at the lake? These questions are rightfully up for debate. 

The Case for Allowing Short Term Renters 

When looking at the case for Bylaw Amendment #2, banning short term renters from the lake has far-reaching implications on the entire Lake Arrowhead community. 

  • Rental Properties Will Lose Business – Much of Arrowhead Woods rentals’ appeal is their proximity to the lake. Without lake access, landlords expect to see a sharp decline in interested renters. Some even fear that they’ll go out of business. Understandably, many rental property owners strongly oppose the ban. 
  • Reduction in Lake Arrowhead Tourism – Landlords aren’t the only ones who benefit from lake tourism. Owners of local restaurants, shops, and attractions also fear financial loss from this ban. 
  • A Decrease in Real Estate Value – Arrowhead Woods home values are bolstered by their potential for lucrative rental opportunities. By decreasing these home’s rental appeal, their real estate value may experience a downturn as well.

As you can see, the Lake Arrowhead community may face harmful financial impacts from a ban on short term renter access. 

Reasonable Restrictions on Short Term Renter Access

Most ALA members agree that non-members should have some limitations placed on them at the very least. In turn, other ALA members are willing to restrict Lake Arrowhead access to short term renters, while still granting them access to most of the lake’s amenities.

For example, short term renters would not be allowed to use powerboats. However, they could still enjoy the following:

  • Beach clubs
  • Fishing
  • Swimming
  • The parks
  • The dock and piers
  • Kayaking
  • Paddleboarding

If this amendment wins the vote, there will be a stipulation that ALA rental property owners must pay an additional fee of $1,000 per year to cover their renters’ usage of the lake. Short term renters will have to agree to follow ALA rules, regulations, and policies during their stay. 

So Where Do You Stand?

As you can see, this debate is complex and involves a number of considerations. Both sides have sound intentions and want to do what’s best for their community. It will be interesting to see how ALA members vote on this issue in the coming months.

Sources:

Arrowhead Lake Association. Types of Membership.

https://www.ala-ca.org/types_of_membership.php

Arrowhead Lake Association. General Rules. 

https://www.ala-ca.org/general_rules.php

Arrowhead Lake Association. NOTICE OF REVISIONS FOR VOTE ON WHETHER SHORT TERM RENTERS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO LAKE ARROWHEAD.

http://ala-ca.org/news_manager.php?page=20286