Dear GUEST
Regrettably, the lack of transparency on your rental request was the main reason your vacation was stressful while simultaneously jeopardizing our rental permit. I had extensively warned you regarding short Term Rentals in the Tahoe township being in red alert due to renters disregarding neighbors' quiet enjoyment. How would you feel if you had a neighbor throwing a party every weekend? Because of renters that disrespected neighbors, Douglas county enacted strict ordinances. As a result, many changes occurred, and they reduced our capacity. the site reflects that.
On November 3, 2022, you booked our property for ten guests. As depicted on the site, we allow a maximum of 10 guests due to the new Douglas County regulations which allow only a maximum of 10 guests. At the time of the booking, you accepted our contract detailing the repercussions of breach under false pretenses. You signed an electronic agreement providing the ten names of the guests.
You initialed the clauses confirming you understood the penalties imposed by Douglas County for noise disturbance and breach of other local ordinances.
On December 26, before releasing the entry codes, we spoke and reviewed the rental rules and ordinance regulations and heavy fines if not respected. You agreed, and we provided the entry codes.
On December 27, you arrived and completely ignored house rules and local regulations. You brought at least six unauthorized guests, ready to have a good time, overlooking our agreement.
Around 8 pm, neighbors complained to Douglas County about disturbance and occupancy. You brought an excess of at least six unauthorized guests. Independently the noise was so loud the monitor alarm was triggered. We called you; the noise was lowered but still went on at higher decibels for the time of the night, as the noise monitors confirmed it lasted till 11 pm. Our outside cameras captured six cars dropping many more than the allowed amount. Our maximum allowed is four cars.
On December 28, morning, J.J, code enforcement officer for Douglas County, wrote me regarding an occupancy and noise complaint.
On December 28th afternoon, we received another noise complaint call. We contacted you and asked you the number of guests in the house. You responded you had 16 guests when you had signed for ten guests only—a Definite breach of our contract and local permit.
On December 28, I asked you to leave the premises because of the noise disturbance and breach of our permit. No response.
On December 29, I contacted VRBO, which canceled the reservation and got you to correct the problem by leaving the premises. You stayed till the evening of December 30, the amount of time you had contracted.
Although you had requested a reservation under pretenses, breached the house and local rules, and created noise and occupancy ordinance issues, you asked for a refund for the hours you left early, and I refused.
I want to address your complaint, triggered by the circumstances I mentioned; the noise monitors are mandatory to get a rental permit. I and our contract advised you of the existence. Monitor alarms triggered only by loud noise. The neighbors did not receive the notice; only me and my staff did; however, the noise was so loud they called code enforcement, not me. On December 28, When I got the alarm, I knew the noise was deafening and neighbors would complain, so I warned you they would most likely call the police next, as they always do.
I want to address the remaining issues in your complaint, the heaters. The upstairs heater is new; the downstairs heaters were serviced on December 27 by Tilley Plumbing and heating. The heaters were working fine when you arrived, a day after the yearly service, or you would tell me when we spoke that evening. On December 28, you told me there was an issue. I called Tilley plumbing, and he arrived immediately within 30 minutes of your call. He told me it was a glitch and reset It. I have his invoice for the service call. I shared his number with you in the event of any other problems with the heaters. On December 29, you did not contact me regarding the heater, perhaps because we were already involved with VRBO, asking to cancel the reservation. You reached Tilley per your review, and he instructed you to reset the apparatus. He states you told him you had reset it successfully and were pleased. I did not hear of any other complaints until you posted the review.
Regarding the leaks, we never had any complaints or issues. Because it has been a record-breaking snow season, thus far, over 15 feet of snow have fallen on our roof and deck, I have paid personnel to remove the snow from both the top and front deck for the use of the jacuzzi, but it is impossible to keep up with the continuous storms. After your departure, I hired Gonzales maintenance to remove the snow on the roof and inspect it for perforations or significant issues. He found none but told me it was happening all over Tahoe as the amount of snow and water was excessive, and water always finds a way. I apologize if this was disconcerting as you were packing to depart because of the regulation breach.
Frankly, the main root of the problems with your rental experience is the excessive regulations in Douglas County. Please understand as an owner, I must enforce these regulations. As I mentioned, the penalties are severe, and canceling our license after just two complaints is nerve-racking. For this reason, we ask our guests to sign two contracts, a welcome packet, and review conditions before releasing the entry codes. Ignoring these contracts, instructions, and requests is why we all had an unpleasant experience. I highly recommend in your future rentals to be aware that a breach of contract, house rules, and local ordinances have serious repercussions that can harm owners and affect local policy. Douglas County has been trying to cancel short-term rentals for three years now. Consider how this decision would affect thousands of families visiting Tahoe, as they will have to pay high prices for hotels. Statistics fuel policy, complaints, and police calls are the data they use to back up the changes. Please be aware and emphatic when you book your next short-term vacation rental.
Sincerely,
Management