Summit County and our local municipalities seem obsessed with creating even more heavy-handed regulations on vacation rentals. Guess what: We already have the systems and regulations in place to deal with the very small percentage of vacation rentals that cause problems such as noise, trash and parking. We simply need to enforce these regulations.

For example, Summit County and all local municipalities have 24/7 vacation rental hotlines to call to report problems. If the person responsible for renting the property does not resolve the issue within an hour, further steps can be taken, including filing a formal complaint with the county or the town. Properties that receive multiple complaints can have their vacation rental license revoked. 

This is an effective, common-sense approach to dealing with the rare problems associated with vacation rentals. Placing more limits on the number of vacation rentals is not. We don’t need to punish all vacation rental owners because of a few bad apples.