Saratoga Springs divided over short-term rental regulations

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Tuesday, a public hearing was held with conflicting opinions on Saratoga Springs proposed legislature for short-term rentals in the city. Hundreds packed in the Saratoga Springs City Hall, and dozens lined up to speak on the proposed legislation to regulate short-term rental use in Saratoga Springs.

“There’s 27,000 people that go daily to the race track. There are 3,300 hotel rooms. There’s no place for these people to stay,” one resident shared.

Under the new legislation, only owner-occupied properties will be eligible for short-term rentals.

The city will also require permit records from the city fire department and accounts office, showing the owners are up on all their inspections, along with a $1,000 application fee for a two-year permit.

Dillon Moran, Commissioner of Accounts for the city, says this is needed for an otherwise unregulated industry.

“Bring forward something that starts to balance the deck,” Moran said. “Because right now, it’s an unregulated situation, and it’s just not working. And it needs to.”

Many residents who spoke agreed with the commissioner that something needs to be done about the housing situation. But there remains a divide on whether or not short-term rentals are a part of the problem.

“We have one home for sale under $500,000. One. And there are 18 Airbnbs in Guyser Crest. We have a crisis, folks,” said one resident who is also a realtor.

There was no vote tonight, but the commissioner says that more discussions will be planned for the issue before making a final decision.

“There are plenty of places now that are just standalone short-term rentals,” Dillon Moran, Commissioner of Accounts for Saratoga Springs, said. “I have a really hard time looking at that as anything other than a bleat in the neighborhood.”

If these regulations are implemented, they won’t happen until the summer and likely give homeowners a grace period through the upcoming track season.