As Penn Forest Township considers rules for Airbnb and similar rentals, they are taking input from the communities which know them best.

The township supervisors recently hosted a meeting with officials from several private communities. They shared their thoughts on short-term rentals, and what role the township should play in regulating them.

Several of the communities that attended agreed with township supervisors that rentals should be allowed and regulated.

“Ownership entitles you to renting it out. You have to have rules within an association to limit and problems and concerns of other residents so they have their right to peaceful enjoyment,” said Ron Kerwood of Bear Creek Lakes.

The township supervisors are currently deciding whether to create their own rules for people who want to list their homes on websites such as Airbnb.

There are more than 300 listings for homes in Penn Forest on those websites, which are popular among tourists visiting the area. The coronavirus pandemic has made those rentals even more popular, according to township officials.

None of the supervisors said they want to ban short-term rentals completely. Several have said they want to come up with rules that protect neighbors from negative effects such as loud parties and overloaded septic systems.

The supervisors have been looking at rules from other townships which also have large private communities where Airbnb is popular. There are several townships nearby in Monroe County that have adopted rules for short-term rentals.

Possible rules could include annual inspections and septic system maintenance. Some ordinances limit the number of guests in a rental at a time.

If the township decides to adopt rules, it would also need to come up with a way to enforce them.

The supervisors said their current staff wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rental fees and inspections, on top of the work they already do.

Larger communities have office staff and security, which already enforce their own internal rules for short-term rentals.

Joan Elliott, president of Towamensing Trails Homeowners Association, said her community’s regulations for short-term rentals work, but she would like to work with the township to amend them to limit how many people can be in a rental at once.

“We have security there, we have rules and regulations. Our biggest problem is houses that are made for seven people, they’re putting 20 in there,” Elliott said.

One possible solution is a tech company which the township heard from during last week’s meeting. Granicus Host Management finds short-term rentals online and contacts their owners about the required rules and fees, in exchange for payment from the township.

Responding to loud parties and other nuisances presents another challenge.

The township does not have its own local police force. Some communities have private security. The state police who cover the township do not enforce local ordinances.

“My biggest concern is physical enforcement. You can’t just hire a code enforcement guy. That’s dangerous. I would not put somebody in that situation,” said township Supervisor Christian Bartulovich.

Granicus will also contact short-term rental owners about ordinance violations like loud parties and trash. They ask neighbors to take pictures and videos to show evidence that there is a violation.

The supervisors said it is possible they will advertise their own ordinance for adoption by the end of the year.