Tourism is synonymous with the Poconos. It has been a catalyst for much of the growth in the region including good paying jobs, a resilient tax base and preserving the natural character of the area. It is hard to ignore the impacts of the tourism industry across the spectrum. Revenue, Jobs and Local Business Support are the direct result of the hospitality and tourism industry justifying its need in our economy.
It’s fair to say that at least a quarter of the 83,000 homes in Monroe County were built as vacation homes, some in subdivisions originally designated as vacation home communities, perhaps even a higher percentage in Pike and Wayne counties. Today, many of these are owned as secondary homes and some of these are used as vacation rental properties. Two recent Commonwealth Court decisions have affirmed that communities founded as vacation home communities, with founding documents that define this use, cannot prohibit renting to Vacationers as Short-Term Rentals – defined as “Less than 30 days”.
Residents of this region have long held varying opinions of the visitors who spend their time and money in the Poconos throughout the years. There is little that will change that desire of many to experience what we have here. A group those who depend on vacation rentals founded an organization called the Poconos Association of Vacation Rental Owners to serve as the voice of those who own vacation homes and who want to rent their homes on places like Airbnb or VRBO; and fully cooperate with Ordinances and Guidelines from our Townships and Communities. We are a trade association serving a membership that consists of a wide variety of owners, mostly individuals whose primary home is outside the region. In the hospitality industry we are called a rental alliance.
When done right, vacation rentals are good for the Poconos. As the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau reports with state-backed data, tourist dollars have a multiplier effect, but it’s more than just money. A well-kept property can help the curb appeal of a community, and good guests can add vitality to an area. Responsible hosts screen guests and that even with good techniques, occasionally bad things happen. If something does go wrong, a good owner, corrects the problem, learns and improves their process collaborating with Public Safety Officers and the Police.
Our Values Statement includes language about applying uniform regulations to all short-term rental hosts to ensure compliant hosts continue making the positive impact on our communities and those who don’t, are brought into compliance or have their permit to rent revoked.
As responsible hosts, we want to be good neighbors. We try to treat these homes like they are our own, because they are. Most vacation home rentals are owned by individuals with one or a few investment properties. At Poconos VRO we are looking to celebrate and promote those that do it right and help shut down the ones who do it wrong. Our Poconos Vacation Home Good Neighbor Program is our way of highlighting what is right about what we do. It is a demonstration of a commitment of quality and responsibility. For the residents of the area, when you meet a vacation rental owner, ask them about the Good Neighbor Pledge and if they haven’t taken it, tell them to join our Good Neighbor program. Our hope that residents and rental owners can work together to make the Poconos a better place.
To read the Good Neighbor Pledge and see participating properties, please visit the Poconos Vacation Rental Guide
(The above letter was submitted in August 2024 to several local community newspapers. With it yet to be published, I posted it here to spread the word.)