The Gardiner town board introduced a draft local law regulating short term rentals (STR) at their regularly scheduled meeting on April 9.

The law stipulates the rentals must be owner occupied, protecting town residents from the potential nuisances’ large rentals such as AirBnBs can create, including noise, litter and traffic. At the same time, the law will allow town residents to share in the economic benefits of STRs. It will also prevent investment properties from driving up housing prices.

“The economic benefits should go to the people who are currently in residence and are having financial issues,” board member David Dukler said.

Owner occupancy means 51 percent or more of ownership in the property shall be in residence during short-term rentals, according to the draft law.

The law requires owners to apply for a permit with the code enforcement officer, which will be valid for three years.

The law also requires basic safety precautions, such as one functioning smoke detector in each bedroom, on functioning fire extinguisher in the kitchen and at each exit, and at least one carbon monoxide detector.
It also requires exterior doors or emergency exits to the outside for bedrooms, functioning electrical systems, properly vented fireplaces, sufficient parking and more.

The law requires a good neighbor brochure prepared by the town board for STR occupants that shares the general rules of community conduct, private property considerations and safety precautions for residents and guests.

If there is a complaint regarding the property, the complaining party must first contact the STR owner and attempt to remedy the problem themselves.

If that does not work, the complaining party may file a complaint with the town code enforcement officer, after which the officer may remedy the situation, suspend the permit or revoke the permit.

The proposed law can be found on Gardiner’s website at townofgardiner.org.