This remote corner of Maine welcomes short-term rentals
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Short-term rentals are causing anger in many parts of Maine, particularly in coastal areas where they are accused of driving up housing prices, diminishing long-term rentals and making nearby properties less attractive.
In less traveled parts of the state, however, they are welcome to contribute to the local economy. Take rentals on Lake Meddybemps in Washington County, a 15-mile drive from the Canadian border. Lake Down East is bordered by four sparsely populated towns, Baileyville with 1,318 in 2020, Alexander at 525, Baring at 201 and Meddybemps at 139.
“I’m seeing more business due to short-term rentals, which are mostly seasonal here,” said Steve Clark, owner of Nook & Cranny restaurant in Baileyville. “I think they are accepted as helping the local economy.”
In other parts of the state with denser populations, cities like Portland and Bangor, which are experiencing severe housing shortages, are regulating short-term rentals and fining those who don’t follow the rules. Clark said long-term, year-round rentals are also rare in his area, but that’s mainly because many places close in the winter. Some of its employees travel almost an hour to get to work.
The benefits are also seen by Jean Lawlis, who owns a lakeside cabin in Alexander that she rents out through the Vrbo website. Her tenants go out to eat and enjoy local attractions when they visit, and she employs a housekeeper to clean and a teenager to mow the grass.
“Our region around Calais has had a tough economy for a long time,” said Lawlis, who was born in Calais, a 20-minute drive north of Meddybemps.
Lawlis, a former councilor for Hampden and a retired engineer and math teacher, inherited her father’s house after his death. She decided to rent it out to keep it in the family and to pay taxes and maintenance, including a new roof that will soon be needed.
“If you don’t use it, why not share it with people?” she says. “Family vacations are important.
Joseph Reynolds, a Massachusetts resident who rented the Lawlis cabin last summer with his family, said there was legitimate concern about the loss of many affordable homes, especially those rented by large corporations.
But he chose the cabin because he grew up in that area of Maine and wanted a more personal vacation experience. He wanted to patronize local businesses. The peace and quiet of the place also attracted him.
“There’s so much less light pollution,” he said. “We could pretend the chalet was ours, at least during the holidays.”
The 2,000 square foot chalet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms rents for $250 per night. Lawlis will adjust the price for people who rent it for longer periods, like two women who stayed all winter while doing internships in Calais.
The cottage is right on the lake with a sandy beach where the Reynolds’ dog and children enjoyed swimming. Ten mile long Lake Meddybemps is known as one of the best smallmouth bass lakes in eastern Maine, although there are also white perch, landlocked salmon, and other fisheries.
It’s quiet without a lot of boats, said Diane James, who rents her two-bedroom cabin with a loft on the lake for $200 a night. Most rentals range from two nights to one week. The Meddybemps camp attracts people from all over, including Europe. She and her family live in a second cabin on the same property. They both closed for the winter at the end of October.
As local attractions, James cites activities such as kayaking on the lake and hiking the Bold Coast and other trails in Cutler, a 50-minute drive south of Meddybemps. Eastport, Lubec and Campobello Island are nearby day trips. The Canadian border is a 25 minute drive from St. Stephen, New Brunswick.
James, a semi-retired nurse practitioner, said she understands the concerns about short-term rentals, but like Lawlis, she’s ended up with an extra property bought from a neighbor and it provides her with extra income.
She’s been renting the property through Airbnb for about five years and has had few issues other than some people leaving a mess when they leave. She likes that Airbnb handles the payments and financial transactions for the property.
It also sounds appealing to Susan Morken Olsanski, who lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but whose husband’s grandparents are from the Meddybemps area. They own two lakeside homes, one they live in during the summer and a second summer camp that she plans to rent out in the short term. They have been summering at the lake for 27 years.
She consulted with James about the pros and cons of renting, including potential property damage and theft, and learned that through online rental websites she can control to some extent who rents the camp. . She doesn’t want pets and has groups of up to four people.
James has similar limits, as does Lawlis, who prefers renting to families but allows pets. She shared rental tips for people used to being alone.
“Make your own rules and realize that other people can come down in the water to sit on chairs you set up and you might hear them talking,” she said.
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