Tips for Renters of Vermont Lake Front Properties and other Vacation properties

If you are looking for a lakeside vacation this summer in Vermont here are some points to consider:

There is only a limited supply of rental properties and some lakes don't have any. This is because of tough Vermont environmental laws aimed at preventing lake pollution from things like overflowing septic tanks and farm run off. Seymour Lake in the Northeast Kingdom is surrounded by private homes. There are only a few at the north end of the lake, next to Route 111. You may find a private home for rent, but usually you have to know someone who knows someone. No one advertises rental properties on Seymour Lake. You might check with local real estate agents in Newport, Vermont for rentals on this lake. Property owners like long term rentals. A weekend booking is out of the question. One week is minimal. Willloughby and Caspian are large lakes in northeastern Vermont with the biggest number of rental cottages. There are a few condos on Lake Memphremagog, but no cottage complexes. Lake Champlain has cottages but parts of it are plagued by man-made pollution, mostly farm runoff. There is a 9% VT Rooms and Meals tax on weekly rentals, but if you go for a long term rental, say a couple of months in the summer, the tax is no longer payable. Property owners get booked up early. Start your search in January or even earlier. Click here for Scenes of Vermont Lakeside Rentals and Other Vermont Property Rentals and Sales by Owner. Where are the lakes anyway? Click here for Vermont maps

Lake Seymour - summer 2003 - some lakes do not allow power boats