East Hampton officials are planning to increase enforcement against illegal short-term rentals as concerns grow about the impact of investor activity and online platforms on local housing. The town is expected to seek proposals for software that can identify unregistered rental properties listed on sites such as Airbnb, according to Newsday.
Deputy Supervisor Cate Rogers told the board that analytics from AirDNA showed only about half of the 1,874 short-term rental listings in East Hampton are registered under the town’s rental registry law, which has required a $200 permit since 2015. Rogers noted an increase in homes bought and flipped by out-of-town investors, often with backing from specialized lenders and property managers.
“I do think we are looking at commercial investment in our residential districts by investors who only seek to make profit and are not looking at being part of this community at all,” Rogers said.
The town currently restricts short-term rentals to a maximum of 14 days at a time, no more than twice in six months. However, enforcing these rules has been difficult. Officials believe monitoring software could help detect violations and track ownership patterns, following the example set by Southold, which implemented Rentalscape earlier this year.
Rogers also mentioned possible reforms such as adding a dedicated section for short-term rentals in the town code, introducing a local tax, or increasing registration fees. Board members were cautious about overregulation, noting that it could negatively affect the seasonal rental market crucial to East Hampton’s tourism economy.
Councilperson Ian Calder-Piedmonte said the board must “make sure that we don’t become purely seasonal, and that we have a healthy, vibrant year-round community that we’ve always had,” highlighting the need to balance tourism with livability for residents.
Councilperson David Lys pointed out that many local families depend on rental income.
East Hampton’s efforts reflect similar moves across Long Island’s East End. Southampton Village recently prohibited rentals shorter than 14 days, while Riverhead enforces a 30-day minimum stay requirement.
— Holden Walter-Warner
