The short-term rental market in Hall County is heating up

Evolve Vacation Rental, which manages seven short-term rentals in Hall County, had relatively stable bookings from 2020 to 2021, according to a statement from Ashley Taylor, Evolve’s senior manager of communications. This could be evidence of the increasing popularity of vacation rentals as a safer travel option during the pandemic, Taylor wrote.

“During the height of COVID, most guests chose to stay closer to home, with 54.2% traveling from locations less than 100 miles from Hall County between March and June 2020, up from 41.4% over the same period in 2021, “Taylor wrote.

During the summer, Morrill said they had a lot of families wanting a typical summer vacation, renting out their property on the lake, but they also rented to some people who wanted a place to relax after they got one lost loved ones to COVID -19 in the last year. Some even used the home as a place to reunite several family members after a loss, she said.

They put in place a flexible cancellation policy that allows guests to cancel up to 24 hours in advance, Morrill said, which will give guests more security during the pandemic when plans could be changed quickly. About half of her guests came from abroad, she said. They’ll be busy until mid-August, she said, but expect business to slow down in the fall with the start of school, the slightly cooler weather, and concerns about the COVID-19 delta variant and a recent spike in COVID-19 cases could be in the area.

In March 2019, the district changed its ordinance on short-term rent to allow apartments in each zoning district for short-term rental with the approval of a business license from the district. At short notice, two to 30 nights are defined. By the end of 2019, the district had 64 active business licenses. There are now 131 active business licenses contributing $ 135,537 in tax revenue through July this year.

The increased activity has also caused some discomfort. The Hall County Marshal’s office had 55 short-term rental-related cases on July 29 this year and just 10 cases last year, with less activity during times when COVID-19 case numbers were much higher.

Neighbors can call a helpline if they have complaints about a nearby rental property and the complaint must be resolved within an hour or the landlord risks a violation.

Marshal’s Office Capt. Barry Shaw said the complaints they most commonly get are about noise or people parking in the wrong places. They try to solve most problems without posting a quote, Shaw said, although it doesn’t always make everyone happy.

“Most of the friction comes from a permanent resident who has a rental apartment next door,” Shaw said. “They tell me, ‘It’s like having people next to me on vacation every day of the week.'”

Most cases are settled shortly after the owner is notified of a complaint, he said.

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