I have been a host in Columbus, GA since 2019. I have a business license and short term rental permit. In going to renew my business license at the tax office I was directed to go to the Inspections & Code Office because something has changed. So I go there and find out that Hosts are now required to send notifications to neighbors on both sides of us as well as the house directly behind us before we can renew our permit. Each adjacent property owner should sign something acknowledging that they were provided with this notice. This was told to me orally as I stood at the counter. They provide no format, content or sample of what is to be said or how the acknowledgement should be written. I've found some different types of notifications googling, but it seems to me, if the City wants a form, they should provide what they want.
To complicate things, the house to my left has been abandoned for years. However, it's now under contract and expected to be completely renovated which is great to hear, but I have no way of contacting the current owner to provide this notification letter because I don't know who has the contract on the house. The house behind me is sketchy. It's in very rough shape, I don't know who lives there and I'm not comfortable knocking on that door. If I send the letter certified mail, I doubt the person will respond by signing and returning the letter.
Have any of you hosts in Georgia been successful with providing these notifications and getting acknowledgements back so that you can proceed to renew your Short Term Vacation Rental Permits? Have you got a good letter/acknowledgment form you can share and any tips for me to make this easier?