Chapter 1.7
Short-term rentals and Guest Accommodations
On this page, there are three key elements:
- Summary
- Full text for this section of the Neighborhood Plan
- Short survey
Summary:
Islanders welcome visitors and respect property owners’ rights to rent their homes, while wanting to protect the island’s quiet lifestyle and sensitive environment. Clear expectations and reasonable limits help prevent overcrowding, noise, and strain on septic systems, roads, and natural resources.
To help avoid future problems, the community supports a few simple, proactive steps:
- Encourage property owners and rental managers to provide clear, island-wide information for guests about local rules, environmental protections, and emergency contacts.
- Encourage vacation rentals to have a local, on-island contact who can quickly respond if issues arise.
Full Version:
We encourage everyone to read the full version. While we did our best to summarize above, this full version offers much more nuance.
The community acknowledges property owners’ rights to lend or lease their homes. Island residents welcome visitors to our neighborhood and appreciate visitors who respect our Island lifestyle.
Most homes on the Island are permitted by the Health Department for septic systems with a maximum capacity of 2 occupants per bedroom, unless the septic system for the home has been upsized for greater capacity.
There are potential negative impacts of unrestrained occupancy including environmental degradation, infrastructure strain, health and safety concerns, noise pollution, and ordinance violations. While currently these are not major issues, the community wishes to safeguard against future problems.
Potential Issues regarding Short-term rentals and Guest Accommodations:
- Overcrowding in single-family homes: This impacts water use and abuses septic systems, can cause waste management problems, and intrusive parking.
- Disturbances to the quiet Island lifestyle: This may include noise, increased violations of local ordinances, e.g., abuse of golf cart rules,
- Lack of information about our unique community and the regulations that apply to: sea turtle nesting season, shorebird nesting areas, driving on the beach and protection of gopher tortoises and their habitat.
Recommendations for Short-Term Rentals and Guest Accommodations:
- Create a uniform guidebook or online information resource for guests and renters island-wide. This will allow islanders to convey information and regulations that are unique to the island and may not be known by visitors. Suggestions for development include:
- Hold a forum with rental management firms to develop a list of items to include in a comprehensive information resource for Island guests and rentals. This might include the property’s address and contact, the rental agency information (if applicable), emergency phone numbers for the island, maps of the islands that show the roadways, ferry landing, bridges, the Palm Island Resort and amenities such as the restaurant, beach access points and Station 10.
- Profiles and literature may be included such as Sea Turtle Patrol, BICI, etc.
- Include environmental ordinances and regulations related to sea turtle and shorebird nesting seasons, mangroves and other Island concerns.
- Explore options for the funding of this resource as part of the process.
- Encourage rental management firms and property owners to familiarize rentals and guests with the local regulations in effect on the Island.
- Encourage owners of vacation rental properties to have an on-island contact that can be notified if guests are causing disturbances or problems.
Survey
Each head of household (up to two per household) may submit the form once. If you submit it more than once, only your most recent submission will count. This also means you can update your response later if you change your mind.
