We can sympathize with the long-term renters in Summit County and their need for housing. Something has to be done. Here, we share our past experience with both seasonal and long-term renters so the community discussion includes a full picture of short- and long-term rentals.

We think this discussion has not addressed the experiences of the landlords. We formerly had several rental homes in Breckenridge and the surrounding area. These were to be income-producing investments for us. However, after some time and much aggravation, we sold them. The sad truth is that many of those attracted to try to live and work here are young, transient and not really responsible with other people’s property.

We often had renters skip out on their contracts. The mess they left behind required dumpsters to clean out. Careless behavior left damaged property that cost a lot of money to fix. One of the worst examples was a house where the tenants had chopped firewood in the living room, putting large holes in the living room floor! On other occasions, we rented to one or two people, but before long, there were eight or 10 people living there. In time, we sold the homes and left the business. It’s too bad so many people have too little respect for other people’s property.

A helpful solution might be for the larger employers or the municipalities to build dormitory type facilities for their young, single employees.