Editor’s note: This commentary is by Julia Cook, who is a medical secretary, a 20-year resident of the Northeast Kingdom and a homeowner in Glover.

[D]ear Governor Scott, local media and town officials,

The Airbnb and seasonal rental business is out of control in Vermont and elsewhere. The state of Vermont and local towns should be regulating these rentals as they would any other legitimate lodging property. More and more people are purchasing property in rural communities for the sole purpose of profiting from nightly and short-term vacation rentals with no regard for their neighbors. Without any warning, people living on small, residential, rural roads are now forced to live next door to an unregulated lodging business (or more than one). This compromises the rural way of life and the tradition of knowing one’s neighbors as now there are new people coming and going every few days. This brings up safety concerns, environmental concerns, noise issues and more. Some of these rentals have no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors (but they do have wood stoves or fireplaces and guests that don’t know how to start a proper fire). They may have lead paint or asbestos on the property as well as other potential hazards. Guests are not instructed on proper trash, recycling and compost disposal thus trash loaded with food scraps is often left outdoors in unsecure containers attracting bears and other wildlife. Guests often have no respect for rural life and have loud parties or shoot off fireworks. In many cases, the actual property owners do not even live in Vermont and have never met their guests.

In a few hours, anyone can put their home on Airbnb and start renting with no notification to neighbors or the local zoning administrator, no need to register as a business and no regulations or safety inspections at all. Meanwhile, anyone wanting to start a legitimate inn has to go through a lengthy process including licensing, inspections, tax requirements, etc. Rental properties are also not required to pay rooms and meals taxes while legitimate lodging properties are required to do so. In many cases, seasonal property owners are going well above the occupancy limit for their homes, not only creating a safety issue, but also giving them an unfair advantage over legitimate lodging properties in the area. Why pay the same for a room in a hotel that accommodates two people when you can rent a house for the same rate and cram in 12 people?

The state of Vermont, towns and zoning administrators need to start regulating these seasonal rentals for the safety of the renters and out of consideration for residents. There should be limits to the number of these type of rentals being allowed in relation to the year round population of the community and whether or not there are already lodging establishments located in the town. Anyone wanting to rent their home on a nightly, weekly or otherwise short term stay should be required to:

1. Notify town officials of such plans so that zoning laws can be determined and a decision can be made to approve or not approve use of the property for seasonal rentals;

2. All abutting neighbors should be given notice and a chance to express concerns to town officials;

3. If the rental is approved by the town, the owner should have to register with the state and the IRS as a business;

4. Report and pay all associated business taxes and fees;

5. Be subject to all required federal, state and local inspections/regulations before any rentals occur;

6. Specific safety and environmental concerns should be part of the inspection including smoke detectors and a well-secured shed or other locked area for trash, recycling and compost;

7. Be subjected to annual, twice yearly or random inspections and licensing;

8. And otherwise, be subject to all the same requirements as an inn, B&B or other lodging establishment.

The economic benefits from tourism are certainly important to the state and local towns, but there needs to be a better balance for residents. It’s only a matter of time before these types of rentals lead to more serious issues such as an increase in burglaries, house fires, increased bear and wildlife incidents, pollution to our local waterways, etc. Failure to enact regulations for these seasonal rentals means that they will continue to pop up more and more on rural dirt roads, along lakes and amidst popular trails, causing disruption to the rural way of life enjoyed by Vermonters. Without regulation, this is sure to cause continued friction between visitors and residents. More and more people will choose to sell their properties and move to where they can once again enjoy privacy, others will purchase property just to keep it from turning into an Airbnb rental, others will cut off public access to their land for recreational use including snowmobiling and mountain biking. It’s time for the state and town officials to think about what it means to be a rural community. It’s time to get the Airbnb and seasonal rental market under control and show some consideration for residents, not just visitors.