Shanna Bekar

We purchased our lakefront cottage in 2013. Before AirBnB was even created. Short-term renting is what has made it possible for our family to keep this home and we will eventually pass it on to our children—who will likely never be able to afford a property like this on their own given today’s prices. These bills directly threaten that future. Not only that, it has allowed countless families to enjoy our beautiful lake through the use of our cottage, which we willingly share with the public. If this cottage is turned over to someone who does not need to rent in order to keep it, the public loses even more access to our lake. These bills directly threaten both our family’s future and the public’s ability to experience New Hampshire’s most treasured natural resource. As a Realtor, I see firsthand how damaging these proposals will be to New Hampshire’s housing market. Middle-class buyers already struggle to enter the market here. Increasing taxes, redefining homes as “hotels,” and penalizing so-called “unoccupied” properties will suppress demand from everyday families who dream of owning a small second home in New Hampshire. This will reduce sales volume, depress property values in many communities, and ultimately shrink the tax base. These bills will also reduce revenue to towns. Short-term rentals currently generate significant Meals and Rooms tax revenue that the state redistributes back to municipalities to help offset local property taxes. If hosting becomes financially or legally unworkable, that revenue disappears—leaving towns with fewer resources and shifting an even greater burden onto year-round homeowners. Taken together, these proposals expand government reach, weaken property rights, and create regulatory uncertainty that discourages investment. They do not target large corporations—they punish responsible homeowners and small operators who contribute to local economies, support local businesses, and keep many rural and seasonal communities viable. This approach contradicts New Hampshire’s values and our state motto, Live Free or Die. These bills raise costs, restrict freedom, and undermine the American dream of homeownership. New Hampshire’s own Supreme Court addressed this issue in Town of Conway v. Kudrick (2023), where the Court held that a home used as a short-term rental is still a residential use when people are simply living in the home—sleeping, cooking, and gathering as families do. The Court made clear that if a community wants to change that, it must do so explicitly through local ordinance, not by stretching definitions or reclassifying homes after the fact. HB1068 does exactly what the Court cautioned against by attempting to redefine ordinary homes as “hotels” statewide. This creates legal uncertainty, invites conflict between state law and local zoning, and undermines the long-standing principle in New Hampshire that ambiguous land-use rules are interpreted in favor of the property owner. I urge you to reject these bills.