The New Hyde Park village board acted on Tuesday night to effectively outlaw short-term rentals through online marketplaces like Airbnb.
“People were using some of these internet companies to rent their homes out,” said Trustee Donald B. Barbieri. “We don’t want to turn every home into a motel.”
The Board of Trustees unanimously passed an amendment to the transient rental property clauses in the village code.
The ordinance now defines a transient rental property as a dwelling rented for less than 28 days. In order to be able to rent a room for less than 28 days, an owner has to have a rental occupancy permit. But no occupancy permits will be granted to transient rental properties.
“You can’t rent your house out for less than 28 days via Airbnb or other short-term rental sites,” said Mayor Lawrence J. Montreuil.
The move against short-term rental apps like Airbnb has precedent. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that fines residents who rent their apartments for illegal short-term stays. Airbnb then sued the state in Manhattan federal court.
In July, Newsday reported that the Hempstead Town Board unanimously voted to ban short-term rentals in the town’s unincorporated areas by prohibiting rentals for less than 28 days and creating a new registry and permit program for rentals.
The Town of East Hampton adopted a law in 2015 that requires landlords to register rental properties with the town’s Building Department and limits rentals of fewer than 15 days to twice every six months, among other restrictions.
Last December, Village of Great Neck Estates trustees discussed a law to allow residents to only rent out their homes for a minimum of eight days no more than two times per calendar year.
The Village of Plandome Board of Trustees unanimously voted to adopt a new law in 2016 that says single-family houses can only be let, rent, or leased for periods of 90 days or more a maximum of twice a year.
