By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
It is not all quiet on the Kildee Road front, despite a new ordinance that bans rentals of residential properties for less than 30 consecutive days.
Since Montgomery Township Committee approved the ordinance at its Aug. 3 meeting, the sprawling house at 129 Kildee Road – the property which triggered the ordinance – has been rented for the weekend on at least two separate occasions, according to township officials.
The house was rented twice by small groups of 10 to 15 people, Mayor Ed Trzaska said. The rentals violated the ordinance’s minimum 30-day rental requirement. Summonses were sent to the property owner, who lives in Tennessee.
Neighbors of the house at 129 Kildee Road notified township officials of the recent rentals, and the Police Department responded, Mayor Trzaska said. The Police Department enforces all ordinances that are being violated.
The ordinance banning short-term rentals grew out of neighbors’ complaints about noise and trash at 129 Kildee Road. The property, which was listed on Airbnb as a short-term rental, had become a weekend rental for groups that held parties and social events there.
The neighbors were especially upset at a rental that occurred July 29-30, in which a massive party was held that attracted about 150 people and nearly as many cars parked in the quiet, residential neighborhood.
The property owner moved to Tennessee and turned over the care of the house to a property manager, who listed it as a rental on Airbnb. The listing said the house could be rented for $1,000 per night, and could accommodate 16 guests in six bedrooms. There is a swimming pool, a hot tub and a deck.
