Oversight Overdue On Runaway Rentals

The mechanics of a proposed East Hampton Town registry for property rentals will require detailed consideration, but at this point it seems a good idea and long overdue.

Officials are revising a draft of a law that would require landlords to register with the town, providing details about the number of rooms and so on. An identification number would be assigned to each property, which would have to be displayed in all advertising and online listings. A hearing on the law should come before the end of the month.

Pushing things to a head is the exploding short-term rental industry facilitated by online services such as Airbnb and HomeAway that put would-be visitors and hosts together at prices that range from a rock-bottom $80 to thousands per night for desirable neighborhoods and completely appointed places. In effect, these services have allowed East Hampton’s manageable, finite number of hotel rooms and bed-and-breakfast accommodations to metastasize beyond current means of control.

To consider just a few numbers: Airbnb listed more than 300 East Hampton rentals for Labor Day weekend. A similar site, HomeAway, had 367 places up for grabs in Montauk. To be sure, not all these rentals violate the town code, but judging from many reports from guests, a large proportion blatantly exceed limits. (Under the East Hampton Town Code, no more than two rentals of fewer than 15 days are allowed in any six-month period.)

The stunning growth of online rentals has led to increased complaints from neighbors about summertime noise, litter, and overflow parking. More subtly, these short-term renters add to the already crowded roads, restaurants, and beaches — a boon to those making money during the resort season but a nuisance to others, including the ordinary summer and weekend community which is the backbone of the local economy. In addition, people here for only a few days or a week tend to move around a lot, packing in as much activity as they can. The problem is government’s lack of capacity to absorb the excess, given limited roads, waste disposal options, overstretched power and cellphone grids, and a fragile environment.

Rental registration exists in some form or other in hundreds, if not thousands, of jurisdictions across the United States. Some programs, like that in the City of Boston, require that every private unit be listed and that landlords attest to knowing all applicable regulations and agree to abide by them. This point is interesting, considering that one notable Montauk share-house owner, a New York lawyer no less, claimed ignorance of the law while pleading guilty recently to assorted violations. One goal of the Boston effort has been to assure safe and adequate living conditions for tenants, though owner-occupied properties with fewer than six units are exempted. That would undermine the intent here.

A registry will incur costs but the expense is justified. East Hampton Town would almost certainly have to add personnel to manage the registry and to seek out and prosecute those who violate the rules. Property rentals are one of the area’s major sources of income. Responding with a governing agency up to the task of keeping them in check is not optional.

Tamping down on unregulated rentals appears to be one key aspect of protecting East Hampton’s future. Any inconvenience the proposed registry might represent will be more than justified if it gives enforcement personnel the tools they need to do the job.