The Lake Rosalind Property Owners Association would like to see Brockton council take action to regulate short-term rentals before the situation becomes a problem.
John Mullen acted as spokesman for a small group representing the association at the Oct. 10 council meeting.
Mullen referred to situations that have arisen regarding short-term rentals in the Gravenhurst and Bayfield areas in recent years, including an Airbnb advertised as a “party place.” Neighbours there were subjected to constant noise, he said. Police were stretched to the limit and stopped responding to calls to the property. Another situation with an Airbnb became “so intolerable” that adjacent property owners stopped going to their cottage. A three-bedroom, one-bathroom Airbnb at one point had 12 cars parked outside. Those renting the property demonstrated “utter disregard” for the neighbours, Mullen said.
Mullen noted the difference between an ordinary bed-and-breakfast, where the owner resides in the building, and an Airbnb, where that’s usually not the case.
He commented that rising interest rates and large mortgages have led some property owners at Lake Rosalind to look into short-term rentals. So far, he said, it isn’t much of a problem. As far as he knows, there are only three to five short-term rentals. However, he said he believes economic pressures on new buyers will result in more.
Mullen spoke of both the pros and cons of short-term rentals. In the latter category are environmental issues associated with overuse of septic systems (that one-bathroom cottage with 12 cars parked at it, for example), an increased burden on the landfill, and fire code issues, especially when fire bans are in place that a short-term renter may not understand or comply with.
Coun. Carl Kuhnke, in his capacity as chair of the area’s drinking water source protection committee, noted the state of Lake Rosalind is “extremely fragile” with “significant problems with drinking water.”
Deputy Mayor James Lang, who chaired this portion of the meeting after Mayor Chris Peabody declared a conflict, commented that it’s challenging to find a place to stay for people coming to the area.
Following the discussion, council received a staff report on the short-term rental situation.
The consensus among council was to continue to monitor the situation.