The future of short-term rentals in the tourist magnet city of Saratoga Springs is under consideration.
Saratoga Springs relies on the tourist boom that the summer horse racing season brings, nearly tripling the city’s population. But some residents have become fed up with the growth of the short-term rental market, and Democratic Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran is working on legislation to address their concerns.
In an interview with WAMC, Moran says his proposal, years in the making, has been the result of numerous conversations with residents and property owners.
“I had four separate community conversations that varied from almost all hosts and owners of properties that function in the short-term market to a more balanced conversation by the end where I believe there was a consensus built by that conversation, an acknowledgement of the pratfalls that exist, and a recognition that the things that I’m looking to do really are not very onerous,” said Moran.
Moran outlined some of the basic pillars of his plans.
“This is simply about making sure the activities that are happening in our communities are safe, that the quality of life within our neighborhoods – it’s not negatively impacted – and I also want to preserve the property rights of our citizens and our homeowners,” continued Moran.
Republican-backed Commissioner of Public Safety-elect Tim Coll spoke with WAMC earlier this month and said that short-term rental legislation will be a priority.
“I expect that we’re going to have a registry in this city where folks need to get their houses inspected to make sure they’re safe. Which is obviously to ensure that a deck is not going to fall off a house or we have proper egress," explained Coll. "So we get Codes in there to inspect them, at a minimum, to ensure they're safe. So I think I do think that legislation is, for lack of a better term is going to be the priority.”
Moran says his legislation will include measures to make sure that rentals remain safe for renters and neighbors, including proper insurance and fire protections, local emergency contacts, exit plans, and regular inspections.
Moran also emphasized that he wants to rejuvenate the housing stock, which he says has been depleted by speculative investors buying up low-cost homes to run exclusively as short-term rentals.
“While you have a family on one side of the buying equation looking at the quality of the neighborhood and the quality of the schools, and that’s their judgement – are there enough bedrooms – the person they’re competing with is looking at a rental proforma and how much profit they can make. That’s immoral to me. And so, from the standpoint of a moral justification, from the standpoint of the needs of our community and our economy – because we are a service community, we are a tourism community – we have to have workers who can do that work, and we don’t right now,” said Moran.
According to Moran, roughly 15% of Saratoga Springs’ residential properties are being used as short-term rentals without regular occupation, a statistic he says is unacceptable.
Speaking with WAMC, Republican New York State Senator Jim Tedisco says it’s too early to consider any state-level legislation on the issue.
“They want to bring it to us, they need the legislative sign-off on that? I’d be happy to support my local mayor, my local council over there. But we have to hear from them so I can make their community – Saratoga Springs, the county of Saratoga, the 44th Senatorial district – what they want it to be. Because we’re not just elected officials, Senators, Assembly, we’re representatives. So, I’m waiting for them,” said Tedisco.
Contacted by WAMC, Airbnb spokesperson Haven Thorn said, "the vast majority of Hosts in Saratoga Springs share just one home, and we look forward to working with the City and our Host community on sensible rules that address community concerns and protect the benefits of home sharing for residents and the local economy.”
