Q. The town of York has to vote on a new ordinance for short-term rentals on the May ballot. What’s being proposed?
Historically, York hasn’t had requirements for short-term rentals. In fact, when the town first became known as a summer destination in the late 1800’s, a lot of the rentals back then wouldn’t even qualify as ‘short-term’. People actually stayed for the whole summer, as opposed to the week or two stay that is the norm today.
If the proposal passes in May, short-term rentals will be permitted by and inspected by the town of York every 3 years. The new ordinance will apply to the entire town, although in practice the vast majority of short-term rentals in York are within a mile or less of the ocean. Few of them are west of Route 1.
Currently, the town uses building code and zoning ordinance standards that are the same for all residential housing, regardless of how long it is being occupied for. This ballot measure will incorporate new standards for rentals of 30 days or less. The new requirements would cover new areas such as:
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Permitting - A 3 year renewable permit will be required, with inspections by code enforcement every 3 years. Permits will be transferable to new owners.
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Insurance - Rentals will be required to be covered by a minimum $1M insurance policy
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Emergency contact - Someone must be available to respond within an hour
Maximum occupancy, open fires and how to handle violations are also part of the proposed ordinance.
Some believe short-term rentals are contributing to the scarcity of affordable housing because the short-term rental - if it wasn’t being used as a rental - would be affordable housing instead. I believe that’s unlikely simply because very little of York’s potential affordable housing space is located where the short-term rentals are clustered, namely within a mile of the ocean.
The vote on this proposed ordinance for short-term rentals is coming up quickly. Scan this QR code to read it and get informed, and we’ll see you at the polls.
Troy Williams has been the #1 agent in York county since 2012. His work ethic and unmatched expertise and knowledge of the local real estate market keep him consistently one of the top realtors in Maine. His office can be reached at 1-207-351-8188.
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