TOBYHANNA, Pa. — Over the past couple of years, short-term and Airbnb rentals have popped up all over the Poconos.
Michael File, who lives in Locust Lake Village in Tobyhanna Township, says he lives next to a few.
"Going to be behind me, another house down there, I think two houses down that way," File said.
But unlike File, who doesn't seem to care much, Barbara Laughin, who lives in Greenwood Acres in the township, does.
"We did have a problem in here. There was a busload of teenagers in here, and it was last summer, and they ran amuck," said Laughlin.
Tobyhanna Township officials have drafted a short-term rental ordinance with several rules and regulations you'll have to follow if you plan to rent.
The proposed ordinance says you must be over 25 years old to rent a short-term rental. A person in charge must live within 30 minutes of the rental unit. Only two people per bedroom are allowed, and you can't exceed ten people in the rental.
You also have to wait 90 days to file a short-term rental permit following any prior permit.
"We also want to preserve the way of life in the Poconos, you know the quiet, tranquil communities that are there for many years, but we also want to be able to run our business," said Scott Kunz, who owns several short-term rentals in the Poconos.
His main concern is the proposed occupancy limit. Kunz's Tobyhanna Township home can hold up to 14 people in five bedrooms, so the proposed ten-guest limit would affect him.
"It seems like while some of the intent of this ordinance is designed to reduce problems like noise and partying, we believe that it's sort of overstepping its bounds," Kunz said.
We reached out to Tobyhanna Township officials. They have no comment at this time.
The proposed ordinance will be discussed in future meetings.
You can read the draft here.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.