ADDRESSING THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN OUR COMMUNITY
Join us in building a sustainable STR industry in Raymond.
Vote for the new Short-term Rental Ordinance at Town Meeting
Happy Neighbors make great stays!
- There are many inputs into the perceived quality of a service business like a short-term rental. Some of them are obvious, they're known as tangible assets like the quality of the rental, the view or setting, access to water or watercraft, swimming accessories, comfortable beds, air conditioning, security systems and these days, cable television and internet access. There are also many intangible assets that contribute to the quality of a short-term rental business, which may include, extended, open views, waterfront location, room to spread out, abundant wildlife viewing opportunities, cleanliness, options for sun and shade lounging, and good, neighborly relations. Many owners think maintaining good neighbor relations means threatening them with legal trouble when issues arise. But maintaining good relations with neighbors is probably the most important element of owning and operating a successful, sustainable short-term rental business. And it is vitally important for the entire industry. In fact, we believe that it is the lack of professional maintenance of neighborhood relationships on the part of so many amateur rental operators that leads to strict short-term rental policies passed across Maine. And poor management of guest behavior leads to more issues between guests and neighbors. For un-hosted STR owners, out of sight seems to be out of mind. Issues of excessive noise, roaming and barking dogs, trespassing, open drug and alcohol abuse, fighting and overcrowding, unattended fires, speeding in neighborhoods, parking issues, recklessness on the water and inconsiderate behavior can all lead to poor relationships with neighbors and declining quality of life for full-time residents. Far from being the responsibility of the neighbors to accept these incursions and offenses, it is the responsibility of the owners to police the actions of their customers. Renting your property does not give owners or their guests license to disrupt the lives and peace of neighbors.
- When residents begin to feel frustrated with repeated bad guests, disregarded, bullied or intimidated by either owners or customers, then they begin to fight back. Divisions occur between full-time, permanent residents and un-hosted short-term rental owners. There are all sorts of negative effects for the STR owner that might range from passive aggressive to legal or political outcomes that will damage the perceived quality of the STR. When neighbors are forced to erect fences that block or limit an owner's advertised "extensive views", that results in a negative effect for the STR owner. When they begin to post NO TRESPASSING signs right along the property line, or NO DOGS ALLOWED signs, they can clutter the view and immediately put renters on edge, another negative for the wise STR owner. When they begin to argue with your customers because their behavior is outrageous or inconsiderate, the lack of control by the STR owner has obviously set an unrealistic expectation for their customer- a negative for the STR owner. Residents don't need to worry about getting a negative or positive review, but long-term, that is a genuine financial concern for short-term rental owners, or from a business standpoint, it should be. And the cumulative effect of negative neighbor inputs can impact on an owner's ability to react to opportunities, attract customers or increase prices.
- Amateur short-term rental operators are notorious for having little self-control when it comes to limiting their customers behavior because there is a misconception that absolute freedom for their customers is what attracts business. This could not be further from the truth. Unruly, inconsiderate renters in large, unregulated, un-hosted (meaning un-policed by the owner) party houses that change the character of a neighborhood and disturb the peaceable enjoyment of neighbors are the bane of the industry and have led to more towns passing ordinances than any other issue. It is when unresponsive owners begin to impact more and more small neighborhoods that political action teams like ours begin to work toward regulations. It is because some owners refuse to regulate themselves that policy action becomes necessary. And that's where we are today. Without an ordinance, these "bad actors" will continue to purchase properties, overcrowd them with no limits on what kind of behavior is acceptable and more and more residents will be clamoring for community protection. It is unfair to shift the burden of policing behavior on your commercial property to your neighbors.
The ordinance will help keep neighbors happy, set reasonable expectation for all visitors and help improve the perceived quality of each stay.
- By giving each STR in town and every neighbor the "rules of the game" through this ordinance, the community can help regulate the experience of all stakeholders in town.
- And by using a zoning ordinance to establish these "rules", it allows the town to create processes and procedures to govern this growing commercial industry that is slowly replacing permanent residences and eliminating affordable options for families to join the Raymond community.
- As we all know, zoning ordinances are a flexible tool that can be modified and will evolve with the needs of the industry and the concerns of the residents. But without it, the town is blind and no actions can be taken. Currently, the town doesn't have any process for tracking, inspecting, permitting, monitoring or responding to issues, leaving permanent citizens in residential zones scrambling to protect their rights to peaceable enjoyment of their own properties.
- Please consider voting for this ordinance at Town Meeting in June. As a community we have the power to improve the Short-Term Rental industry in town, so everyone can enjoy Raymond.
- Happy neighbors and happy visitors make a happy and welcoming Raymond.
Comments from Raymond Citizens
While resistance to change is a natural human response, we must establish clear regulatory guardrails to navigate the evolution of our neighborhoods with short term rentals. Proactive screening of renters and accountability to the community for the people they bring in to support their revenue stream - going beyond reactive measures like noise monitors, surveillence cameras etc. Together, proactive and reactive measures can help strike a balance for all.
-Raymond Resident
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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