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Your rental is child friendly you just do not realize it! Boogers can be smeared on your walls even if you do not have outlet covers! Hopefully they never smear them in the outlets though that could be an issue.
Kids are not delicate like a butterflies wings, they can tumble down a few steps or get a little shock when sticking wet boogers in a outlet and most likely it will turn out ok.
RR
Edited to add, a well deserved shock…
Lol. It’s mostly not child friendly because it’s small and I have a limit of two people. Over thanksgiving I had a couple with a huge pibble dog for 4 nights. They also had huge suitcases and a large dog bed. They were here last thanksgiving as well. I don’t know how they move around in there but they seem to like my place. So you’re right a child could probably sleep somewhere like in the shower. Those walls would be perfect for things kids get up to in the night.
Things that we have here like exterior stairs (tiled, hard), being right on open water, upper storey walkway with railings that tempt any adventurous 4 year old to climb them, tiled floors that could crack the head of a child falling out of bed…
All these things would mean that I’d never get a wink of sleep if young kids were here. It’s self-preservation!
Sorry @juels98 I have turned this thread into a discussion about boogers.
Let us know what you find out the county wants as far as a septic meter, I would think a second meter after the street that measured only the water going into the house would be an accurate way to determine septic use. And with that being said I would install low flow fixtures on everything. I would also ask the county exactly what is the threshold?
It does not seem insurmountable if the county is reasonable.
RR
In my LTR in Upstate NY the town water is charged May and November for the previous 6 months and then they take and multiply that rate by 1.85 and charge that amount for sewer in June and December. Maybe if you have a well and a septic they don’t have a way of knowing how much is used so by installing a water meter they could “meter” the septic? This assumes that all water Used ends up in the septic so you get no love for washing a car, watering the lawn, power washing the house, deck and driveway…etc.
I suggested installing a second meter going into the house, assuming its metered from the street. That would come closer to metering what goes in the septic.
That being said I am flabbergasted that a private property owner can be forced to meter their poop water. The only justification that comes to mind is the proximity to the lake I guess.
RR
This seems redundant because everything coming though the street meter is exactly what is going into the house through the main water shut off valve. Just because it goes in the house does not mean it gets to the septic though. Although if the drinking water is brought in by jugs then the sewage output might actually be more than the water intake. And this also assumes that the property doesn’t have BOTH well and piped in water…
Yes, assumptions need to be made. I cannot imagine a meter that would measure the water going into the leach lines (after settling in tank, the effluent), I mean I can it would likely have to be pumped through a meter above ground but idk, I guess since the county is requiring this they will have an answer to how exactly its metered.
RR
just to add more info-- the cabin is on a well and septic. I have yet to find out the cost of adding a meter, but after re-reading the ordinance, it is required for all rentals-- which makes me feel better i’m not the only one paying. Either way, still deciding if renting the place is worth it. The original intent was to rent it when we’re not there to offset the mortgage, however, it seems there were some bad apples in the city renting their cabins, so the county created this strict ordinance. Will let you know how this works out.
Thanks,
Juilan
We had another host here who had a cabin somewhere in the northern US and they stopped hosting after a number of new regulations went into effect. They blamed the local hotel people so that might also be a cause in your area.
Adding the meter is a business expense you can write off against your income. A tax person can help with the details.
It’s funny to think regulators would ever pay for the rules they put in place. In any business these costs are part of the barriers to entry.
Yours don’t sound too extreme. My regs have a limit of 3 people/bedroom. If I were hosting any more rooms I’d also need to retrofit a sprinkler system. I’ve heard that’s upwards of $8k to install and would certainly make me think twice about hosting.
Call around to the local septic contractors, they should be able to give you an idea on price.
When it comes time to sell it could be a bonus that it is STR compliant. Probably it will still offset the costs over the long haul.
RR