1. Why we are looking at The Hideout
The Hideout is a planned community in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, governed by The Association of Property Owners of The Hideout, Inc. Like most Poconos lake and resort communities, it has a property owners’ association that collects assessments and adopts rules—and, in many communities, rules about renting. Those rules are only as strong as the authority behind them in the recorded governing documents.
The Hideout is a planned community in Wayne County established under a Declaration of Protective Covenants adopted May 11, 1970. Its declaration provides that lots are “held, conveyed, hypothecated or encumbered, leased, rented, used, occupied and improved” subject to its terms.
In 2022 the association adopted a bylaw amendment limiting short-term rentals to 10 per year and requiring owners to enroll in a program and pay annual fees to offer short-term rentals. In Chan v. Association of Property Owners of The Hideout, Inc., 323 A.3d 92 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2024), the Commonwealth Court held that amendment void and unenforceable because the declaration did not authorize that regulation. This page does not describe the association’s current rules, which we have not verified.
2. Does The Hideout charge short-term rental fees?
We have documented a past rental-related charge at The Hideout, described below with its source. That record is historical; it is not a statement about what the association charges today.
We have not yet verified The Hideout’s current STR fee schedule. If you own there and are being charged an Airbnb, VRBO, vacation-rental, guest-registration, or rental fee, we will review the charge and governing documents for free.
If The Hideout is charging you to operate an Airbnb, VRBO, or other short-term rental, send us the information. We are happy to review the declaration and evaluate the fee FOR FREE. You don’t need to know whether the charge is legal—that is what the evaluation is for.
Documented history
- 2022 bylaw amendment requiring short-term rental owners to enroll in a program and pay annual fees (amount not stated in the opinion); held void and unenforceable in Chan (2024) (from January 1, 2023). Source: Chan v. Association of Property Owners of The Hideout, Inc., 323 A.3d 92 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2024).
Have the The Hideout Declaration or Covenants?
Send us the HOA name and tell us about the fee. We are happy to review the governing documents and evaluate the STR charge FOR FREE.
Don’t have them? Submit the HOA name anyway. Declarations are usually recorded with the county recorder of deeds, and the association’s resale packet or member portal often includes them.
3. Why the recorded declaration matters
A planned community declaration is treated as a contract between the association and its members. Rules and bylaws adopted later do not override it: under Pennsylvania’s Uniform Planned Community Act, if the declaration and the bylaws conflict, the declaration prevails (68 Pa.C.S. § 5203(c)).
In Chan, the Commonwealth Court held that a bylaw amendment regulating short-term rentals—including enrollment and annual fees—was void and unenforceable because “authorization for such regulation is not provided in the Declaration.” Whether the same is true at The Hideout depends on what The Hideout’s own declaration and amendments say. Some declarations do give associations authority over rentals; courts look at the specific language.
4. Short-term rentals and residential use
Associations sometimes argue that renting is a “commercial” use. In Ruffed Grouse Ridge, the Commonwealth Court held that renting a home to private parties—short-term or long-term—did not violate a covenant limiting use to “private residential purposes only,” so long as the renters used it for residential purposes. The court focused on how renters actually use the home, not on how long they stay. The result for any community still turns on its own covenant language.
5. What types of charges should The Hideout owners send us?
- Annual STR permit fees — A yearly charge to be allowed to rent short-term.
- Annual rental assessments — An extra assessment billed only to owners who rent.
- Per-rental or per-stay charges — A charge every time a guest checks in.
- Renter-registration fees — Fees to register a tenant or rental with the association.
- Guest-registration charges — Charges tied to registering renters as guests.
- Mandatory STR amenity charges — Amenity, beach, or facility fees imposed because the home is rented.
- Rental inspection fees — Inspections required only of rented homes.
- Special security charges — Security fees billed to renting owners.
- Rental-processing fees — Administrative or “processing” charges for rentals.
- Badges, wristbands, or passes — Passes required only because a property is rented.
- Other rental-triggered fees — Anything you are charged because you rent short-term.
Listing a charge here is not a claim that The Hideout imposes it, or that it is unlawful. The declaration controls the analysis.
Sources for this page
- Chan v. Association of Property Owners of The Hideout, Inc., 323 A.3d 92 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2024) — Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, August 20, 2024 (retrieved October 1, 2026). Court record.