Southampton Raises Short-Term Rental Restrictions

8 minutes read

Southampton is done being the exception to the rules that govern short-term restrictions across much of the East End.

The village board of the Hamptons locale voted last week to set a two-week minimum for rental stays, the New York Post reported. The 4-1 vote effectively bars weekend-only vacations to local homes, a potential boon for hotels but a decisive blow to landlords and hosts.

“We have been getting complaints from people in the village that the house next door is having lots of different renters coming in every weekend, and causing a disruption to the peace and harmony,” Southampton mayor Bill Manger told the outlet about the law’s impetus.

One local landlord said the legislation will bring an end to his Airbnb business in the area.

“Nobody can afford to be out here for two weeks,” Joel Perez told the Post. “What happens to people who just want a weekend getaway?”

Proponents of the legislation, however, say the rule is the right step to help those who live in Southampton year-round.

“Hopefully this will prevent the practice of one- or two-day rentals that drive everyone crazy,” Douglas Elliman broker Paul Brennan said.

“I don’t see how this became an issue since we were the last ones to adopt a code,” Manger added, pointing to other South Fork municipalities that have seemingly fared fine since adopting their own short-term rental restrictions.

Visitors to the Hamptons and the North Fork are accustomed to the labyrinth of local laws that await them, differing from town to town.

Rentals in the Hamptons are reportedly down 30 percent year-over-year this summer, a decline partially attributed to skyrocketing costs across the region.

That being said, it’s hard to accurately track the happenings of the Hamptons rental market because of data that is often incomplete, disjointed or biased toward the collector.

Prior to the summer, renters appeared more interested in heading to the Hamptons for a couple of weeks or a month at a time or even shorter-term stints, rather than the traditional three-month stay.

— Holden Walter-Warner