CARMEL, Ind. — The City of Carmel has reached a settlement with Serena Burkard, the sole owner of Vacation Homes LLC.
According to a press release from the city, Burkard’s company was listing a home on Singletree Court as a short-term rental. Listing the home was a violation of Carmel’s Unified Development Ordinance.
On March 21 and May 31, the city notified Burkard about the violations her company had committed. The City of Carmel ultimately filed a lawsuit against Burkard on July 11, noting that she was still trying to illegally operate a short-term rental on Singletree Court.
FOX59 and CBS4 crews visited the Cheswick Place neighborhood — which is where Singletree Court is located — in July. Neighbors there complained of a problematic vacation rental that had been a community nuisance for months.
In its press release, the City of Carmel indicated the agreement it reached with Burkard “effectively ends short-term rental concerns regarding the Singletree Court property going forward.” Under the settlement, Burkard will be fined $5,000 per day if she lists any properties in Carmel as short-term rentals.
The settlement also mandates Burkard pay for any costs or fees the City of Carmel may incur should she list a property as a vacation rental.
The city’s settlement with Burkard is part of its ongoing effort to crack down on short-term vacation rentals. Since it first passed an ordinance on the issue in 2018, the City of Carmel has been regulating short-term rentals. In May, the city even made efforts to regulate backyard or pool-only rentals.
City officials are encouraging residents who suspect a property may be listed as a short-term rental to call Carmel’s code enforcement team. Per the city, homeowners may only list their properties as short-term rentals after they are granted a special exemption.
To get an exemption, homeowners must take part in a hearing with a Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals officer. The City of Carmel also clarified in its release that all of its residents are free to rent their properties for 30 days or longer without prior authorization from local officials.
