Property Owners' Association of Deep Creek Lake

FYI How to Handle Noisy Rental Neighbors 

  

 

 

 

July 14,2014

Folks,

 

At the General Membership Meeting, a member asked how to handle noisy rental neighbors.  We were fortunate to have as a guest at the meeting, Debbie Carpenter, who works for Garrett County.  She has provided the information below which answers the question.

 

 

During the summer months the transient vacation rental units in the lake area are more widely used.  While this is good for local rental businesses, it sometimes causes problems in the neighborhoods where these units reside.  It's important for residents living in these areas to know the procedure to follow in order to address such problems.  Please follow the steps below:

 

Make note of the rental property name or number (if there is one) and the address of the rental unit beside or near you; you should also note the name of the rental company that is responsible for its management.   For properties that are managed directly by owners, including those advertised under the Vacation Rental By Owner website (VRBO), it is advised that you have appropriate contact information (i.e. phone number) for that person or persons in order to contact them directly about any guest issues.  For your convenience the phone numbers for the local rental companies are listed below.  Most of the agencies have someone on staff to respond to complaints 24/7.  It's important to be aware that the rental companies do not want disruptive occupants any more than the neighborhood residents do.  And keep in mind, the disruptive occupants creating nuisances or causing damage to the rental properties are not only problematic to the neighbors, but they also create problems for the rental agencies and rental property owners.  Because of this, many of the agencies and owners try to screen guests prior to renting although it's not always possible to tell which guests may potentially create problems.  Communication between the rental company agents, rental property owners, and the neighborhood residents may help prevent potential problems from occurring in the first place.

 

Railey Mountain Lake Vacations           855-588-2014

Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations     866-351-1119

Long & Foster Resort Rentals               800-336-7303

Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty     800-387-5300

Offlake Rentals                                       301-387-8060

VRBO                                                        301-387-5717

 

If the issue you are having with the rental neighbor is non-life threatening (such as those dealing with parking, trash, excessive noise, or destruction of property), call the managing rental agency first.  If the managing rental agency does not respond in an appropriate or timely manner, law enforcement may then be contacted.  You may call either the Garrett County Sheriff's Office at 301-334-1911 or the Maryland State Police at 301-387-1101.

 

If the issue you are having involves disorderly conduct where there is believed to be an immediate concern for a person's life, you should contact law enforcement immediately at one of the numbers above.

 

The Transient Vacation Rental Ordinance is administered by the Garrett County Office of Planning & Land Management and a complete description of their oversight can be found here.  All complaints or issues should also be filed with that office through the Licensing and Enforcement official.  The complaint form may be downloaded from the County website at http://garrettcounty.org/resources/planning-land-development/pdf/TVRU/tvrucomplaintform.pdf.  Once filled out, the form should be faxed or mailed to the number or address listed below.  The complaint and outcome of the investigation will be kept on record in that office.

 

Garrett County Licensing and Enforcement

203 S Fourth St, Room 208

Oakland MD  21550

Fax  (301) 334-5023

  

 

Cheers,

 

Bob Hoffmann

President

   

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