Addressing the long-term impact of short-term rentals in Raymond.
Join us in building a sustainable STR industry in Raymond.
Addressing the long-term impact of short-term rentals in Raymond.
Join us in building a sustainable STR industry in Raymond.
Thank you for voting! Support for responsible regulation is growing across our community.
With ~43% of voters supporting responsible regulations for the growing short-term rental industry in Raymond, we've proven that there is growing concern and growing issues with un-hosted, commercial hotels masquerading as residences in our community.
We are unsure if the Town will continue to pursue these measures, and while they remain part of the Comprehensive Plan, the timeline and scope of future changes is unclear.
We have reached out to Town Manager Glenn Michalowski to request a centralized complaint form on the Town website. This would ensure all complaints are stored in one place, making them easier to monitor and providing the data we are told does not currently exist. He responded and stated he would look into it.
Until such a system is in place, we have developed a step-by-step process for making formal complaints. To document that these incidents are real issues and help us all follow the same protocol, we recommend taking the following steps immediately whenever you encounter problems with peaceable enjoyment, such as but not limited to speeding, noise / disturbance, trespassing or parking:
1. Call the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department: Make a report at (207) 893-2810 this is the non-emergency line - in case of an emergency call 911.
This connects to the Regional Communications Center. You can view weekly activity logs at
https://www.cumberlandso.org/public_safety_resources/activity_logs.php.
** Please be sure to obtain a report ID number for your records.
2. Email the incident details to the Raymond Town Manager and Code Enforcement Officers:
- Glenn Michalowski: glenn.michalowski@raymondmaine.org
- Jason Williamson: Jason.williamson@raymondmaine.org
- Chris Hanson: chris.hanson@raymondmaine.org
3. Report to Third-party Hosting Companies:
Use Airbnbn's community support link to make a confidential report 24/7 at: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3290 (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3290
Here is the online complaint form for VRBO as well:
https://www.stayneighborly.com/formpage
All correspondence should be real-time, detailed, and factual. (Maine has complex recording and privacy laws. Please ensure you are not violating privacy or trespass laws before video recording or audio recording.)
For example:
- Detailed observations: "At 10:00 AM on [Date], a gray SUV with MA plates and five occupants was seen speeding and weaving on [road name] before arriving at [Address]."
- Property issues: "At 8:00 AM on [Date], a group of strangers entered the driveway at [Address] without permission to look at the horses."
- Noise/Occupancy issues: "On 6/19/26, a party with approximately 15 people and 9 cars began at 1:00 PM and continued past 9:30 PM with loud music and foul language at [address]."
There is also an app NIOSH Sound Level Meter that is available to record dB(A) noise levels if needed.
Please feel free to copy the Raymond STR Initiative on all correspondence at raymondstrinitiative@gmail.com.
Sporadic reporting, or reports from the same people repeatedly will not help further our cause. We need more voices, more interaction, and more real time reporting in order to see progress on this issue.
We need more voices and consistent, real-time reporting to see progress on this issue and prove our concerns are real and well documented.
Commitment to Community
What's the big deal?
Tools for Impacted Citizens
Track our Team's Actions
The link below will take you to a summary of the problems being felt by neighbors of STRs across Raymond because of a lack of local regulation, and the benefits that a sustainable STR industry would bring to town.
As a community, we can follow the lead of other folks in towns like Casco, Gray, Cape Elizabeth, South Portland, Kennebunkport and many others who have decided to face these issues head-on with ordinances that protect their communities. We can develop a balanced Ordinance that brings money into Raymond to benefit everyone, protects our vast natural resources and maintains the livability and peaceable enjoyment of our neighborhoods.
“Regulating short term rentals is not about limiting this potential, but about enacting the appropriate mechanisms to keep competing priorities and interests in balance. When STRs are regulated with care and proper safeguards in place, they can be integrated into the fabric of the community.” - The National League of Cities.
Track our Team's Actions
Tools for Impacted Citizens
Track our Team's Actions
Our goal is to develop and deploy a Town Ordinance that balances the competing priorities of the Town, STR owners, the rest of the citizens, neighbors and our shared environmental resources.
We hope to move through the process of passing a town ordinance as transparently as possible, to fairly regulate Short Term Rentals for the benefit of the entire community.
This is a complex zoning issue.
Here, you'll find a repository of our progress as we move through iterations of a draft ordinance, we hope to bring to Town Meeting in the near future.
This isn't just a local issue. The State of Maine has been investigating the overlap of STRs and the industry's impact on long-term rental housing in Maine. You can track the State's progress here as well.
There are also links to videos of the Town's response to our requests for assistance.
Tools for Impacted Citizens
Tools for Impacted Citizens
Tools for Impacted Citizens
You may feel as helpless as we have when trying to find a peaceful way forward with an unresponsive owner of a Short Term Rental.
You don't have to feel helpless. Here you'll find links to local and state legislation that may help you address your particular issues until we have a town ordinance that fairly regulates the industry.
Laws that support homeowners include the Town of Raymond Barking Dog Ordinance, State of Maine Disorderly Conduct Laws and Trespassing Laws. We've also put all the contact numbers for local and state officials including the Sherrif of Cumberland County, The Raymond Animal Control Officer, DIFW, Town Manager, Code Enforcement Officer and more in one convenient place. Just click the Take Action button below to register your complaint with the appropriate authorities.
Sometimes, your best defense is a good offense. Knowing how and when to complain and what your legal rights are is the best way to break through to an owner who just doesn't see the impact their business is having on you.
Maine, The Way Life Should Be.
Contact Us
We need your support!
Please help us spread the word about the need for action on short-term rentals in town.
Raymond Short-Term Rental Initiative
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