58 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2018
PRESS HOME
SHORT-TERM RENTAL RULES ON THE RISE
continued from page 57
“Shelter Island residents have
historically been welcoming of shortterm
visitors, and have a long history
of engaging in short-term vacation
rentals of their homes, with a typical
duration of two to three days,” Julia
Weisenberg says in a federal lawsuit
she and other renters filed against the
Town of Shelter Island, which passed
a 14-night minimum rental law last
summer. As the lead plaintiff in the
case, who uses the rental money to
pay her bills as well as care for her
three children and her disabled
husband, she claims the “law has
caused, and will continue to cause,
a substantial decrease in ... income,
which will have devastating effects
on her and her family.”
The passage of local laws comes
amid a wave of similar legislation in
cities nationwide as the hotel industry
has ramped up its Share Better
campaign, pushing back against
short-term home rentals that compete
with hotels and motels. The laws often
ban advertising short-term rentals,
require owners to register their
rentals, and fine violators.
Opponents of the Shelter Island
law insist that motivation for its
passage is more insidious than protecting
renters from getting hurt in
old homes that aren’t up to code, as
proponents say.
“The quality of people vacationing
on the island is deteriorating,” Shelter
Island officials said while debating
passage of the law, according to
court documents. “Fourteen days
weeds out the unwanted...Airbnb will
change the complexion of the island.”
Last month, New York City passed
a law requiring Airbnb and other
home-sharing companies to provide
the names and addresses of its hosts
so the city can crackdown on illegal
rentals, such as those that violate a
state law against renting apartments
for less than 30 days. The law is expected
to halve the $3 billion company’s
listings in the city when it goes
into effect in January.
“We have expressed willingness to
work with lawmakers to safeguard
the safety and privacy of these regular
New Yorkers,” Airbnb said in
a statement. “But until there is an
honest attempt by lawmakers to delineate
the tens of thousands of hosts
who are responsibly sharing their
space and the few bad actors who take
advantage of the system, we remain
committed to pushing back against
any legislation that solely aims to
frighten hardworking New Yorkers.”
On LI, the laws typically involve
destination communities with beach
homes that draw tourists to the region
during summer. The Village of Ocean
Beach on Fire Island has long had a rule
barring rentals of less than a week,
a rule aimed at inhibiting groups of
young partiers from disrupting the
resort community. But in 2016, the
much quieter, more exclusive Village
of Saltaire on FI also tightened its rental
code in response to Airbnb.
Last fall, even the Village of New
Hyde Park, a commuter community
not exactly on the short list of
must-visit places on LI, restricted
rentals of less than 28 days. The Town
of Hempstead had done the same
months earlier.
Last month also saw the Village of
Kensington ban renting homes for
less than six months. Earlier this
year, the Village of The Branch added
restrictions on rentals of less than
30 days, prohibiting rentals of more
than two bedrooms or parties after
10 p.m. in such rentals. And in 2015,
the Town of East Hampton limited
landlords to renting homes to 15 days
at a time and only twice annually.
Renters and tourists will have to work
all the harder to get past the virtual “no
vacancy” sign in summers to come.
Landlords and sites such as Airbnb are
fighting a wave of regulation.
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