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Short-Term Rental PPG’s Approved

Palmetto Dunes is a diverse community representing a blend of full-time, part-time, and rental property owners. This diversity is a core strength of Palmetto Dunes. However, with a growing number of short-term rentals in the community, we sought to achieve a greater balance between short-term rentals and non-rentals.

In March 2019, the Short-Term Ad Hoc Rental Committee composed of owners who rent, owners who do not, and the POA staff was established to review the impact short-term rentals may be having upon Palmetto Dunes. The goal was to recommend any policy/process enhancements to balance the economic needs of owners who rent with a quality of life expected by owners who do not—ensuring the behaviors of one group do not adversely impact the other.  The objective of the committee was to help all owners more harmoniously coexist bringing added enjoyment, pride and value to all owners within Palmetto Dunes.

After months of evaluating short-term rental policies and regulations in similar communities, meeting with key constituencies, and acquiring community feedback, the committee presented its recommendations to the Board in October 2019.

Beginning in January 2020, the PDPOA Board of Directors approved numerous motions regarding short-term rentals. As a result of these motions, the Palmetto Dunes Short-Term Rental Policies, Procedures and Guidelines (PPG’s) were established. The objective of this document was to gather all short-term rental related policies (including long-standing and newly enacted) into a single, convenient owner-friendly document.

Draft versions of the STR PPG’s were issued to owners soliciting feedback. After several revisions to the document, a final draft of the STR PPG’s was presented to the Board in December 2020 whereby the Board approved the Short-Term Rental PP&G’s with an effective date of April 1, 2021.

Listed below is the anticipated timeline for the implementation of the STR PPG’s:

December 2020/January 2021

  • Share the approved version of the STR PPGs with the community and property management companies, available from the PDPOA website.
  • File the approved STR PPG’s with Beaufort County.
February/March 2021
  • Review the 24/7 STR Hotline procedures, including reports for owners.
  • Provide interior signage and links to the online guest video.
April 2021
  • Registration is available and required for all STRs (April 1).

We believe the STR PPG’s will help strike a greater balance between those who rent and those who do not for the betterment of all owners in Palmetto Dunes.

What new policies are included in the Short-Term Rental PPG’s?

  • Short-Term Rental Registration
    • The Short-Term Rental Registration is a free on-line confidential registry for owners who rent their property on the short-term rental market in Palmetto Dunes. All owners who rent their property on a short-term basis must register.
    • Registration is not live. We will be contacting you once registration is available. Registration will be through a secure online portal, and you simply provide the contact information of your property management company as well as your own. This confidential information will be used when a guest requires assistance or if any issues arise at your property.
  • One-hour response required for unresolvable issues
    • This will be for the vast minority of situations.
    • If security is called to the property and is able to resolve the issue without further incident, you do not need to do ANYTHING. Incidents will be treated the same for all owners (renters and non-renters). As a courtesy to rental owners, Palmetto Dunes will notify owners that they responded to the property. It is anticipated that notification will be made electronically on at least a monthly basis.
      However, if Security needs to address an issue multiple times without resolve, you will be contacted and the rental management company and/or the property owner must return the telephone call to PDPOA within one (1) hour.
  • Display of Certain Signage
    • To help educate guests, keep them safe, and to minimize their risk of receiving a citation while in Palmetto Dunes, it is essential that all guests residing at a property can easily locate and view our most important rules. Based on our experience, once a guest has been made aware of our rules (often as the result of a response from Security due to a complaint), guests seek to comply and a follow-up from Security is rarely needed.
  • Distribution of Online Video
    • A guest who understands the policies will be safer and have a more enjoyable experience. Sharing our 2-minute online video is an engaging way to make them aware of the rules of the community.
  • Boarding or Rooming House Operation Prohibited
    • The entire property must be rented to the same person or entity, granting the tenant exclusive occupancy of the property for the term of rental. Owners may not rent a room, a portion of the property, or a guesthouse/accessory building on the property, while remaining in occupancy of another portion of the property.