Southampton village bans short-term seasonal rentals ahead of Labor Day weekend
The amendment to the village's seasonal rental law will likely mean fewer parties out east for the unofficial end of the summer this weekend.
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If you're looking to spend time on Long Island's South Fork, you'd better have the time and the money to spend.
Normally, a Labor Day weekend destination, the village of Southampton became the last South Fork community to take control of its seasonal rental properties.
On Aug. 14, the village board approved a change that now requires renters to stay for a minimum of two weeks at properties in the village. This follows similar measures previously taken up by the Town of Southampton and the Town of East Hampton. Other municipalities elsewhere on Long Island have taken up similar laws.
The decision was made in response to residents' complaints that different people were renting every weekend and disrupting their neighborhoods, a spokesperson for Southampton Village Mayor William Manger Jr. told News 12.
"They have a home in the neighborhood that is being used as an Airbnb and they say, quite honestly, to have to call the police every Saturday night to try and say that there's a young group that's using this house is getting tiring for them," Manger Jr. said at the board meeting on Aug. 14.
Rhode Island resident Joan King is staying in the village with family, but said these issues are similar to ones she faces back home.
“We empathize," she said. "It just creates more traffic, more people and they don’t have a vested interest in the community."
While many hope the change will bring some peace to the neighborhood, especially on weekends like Labor Day, others, including property and business owners, worry this could deter tourists and their money from the area.
Jared Abrams lives out here but also rents out properties in North Sea and in the village of Southampton he sees both sides.
“It’s a two-edged sword," he said. "I have a house in North Sea, which I’ve used Airbnb to my benefit quite a bit, and I also have a property here in the village, and I can understand being here in the village, not wanting the nuisance factor of daily or short-term rentals.”
Airbnb said it enforces safety and party protections and encourages all of its hosts to comply with short-term rental regulations.
A company spokesperson told News 12 in a statement: “Airbnb has had a ban on parties since 2020, and while they remain extremely rare, with fewer than 0.06% of reservations on Airbnb in New York resulting in an allegation of a party in 2024. We are committed to working with Southampton officials to provide the village with tools for hosts and guests to quickly and appropriately address nuisance and safety concerns while ensuring home sharing remains an economic lifeline for residents and local businesses alike.”
