Coxsackie is the latest in the Hudson Valley to halt short-term rentals

Mayor of Coxsackie, Mark Evans (Village of Coxsackie, Getty)

One city at a time, short-term rental operators are becoming personae non gratae in the Hudson Valley.

Coxsackie, a village in Greene County, has passed a three-month moratorium on new short-term rentals, the Times Union reported. Enacted Wednesday evening, the moratorium applies to Airbnbs, Vrbos and more.

Anyone already operating a short-term rental can continue it. Waivers may also be permitted for those seeking to open a tenancy in specific circumstances, subject to review by the Village Council.

The break comes with an option to extend twice, each time for another three months. In the meantime, the village will explore the possibility of further regulating short-term rentals within its borders.

Some regulations already exist. Landlords are required to register their short term rentals with the village and pay a fee. The measure was imposed after a rental was plagued by underage drinking and police calls, according to the mayor.

There are 24 short-term rentals operating in the village and 41 in the surrounding town, according to AirDNA. The village has less than 3,000 inhabitants. Several hotels operate in the area.

The number of short-term rentals in the village and town combined has more than doubled since two years ago, when there were just 28. Proponents say the rentals have provided much-needed income for some landlords and bring tourism revenue to cities that do not. have many other industries.

Other communities in the Hudson Valley have enacted moratoriums on short-term rentals and then passed regulations on the industry. In Hudson, a moratorium preceded the institution of a 4% lodging tax. At Woodstock, an authorization process has been put in place to limit rental volume.

In the state capital, Albany is eyeing the regulation of short-term rentals for the first time. A council member is working on legislation that would require operators to register properties as short-term rentals and pay a fee.

At the state level, a legislator recently introduced a bill to help municipalities track, regulate and tax short-term rentals through a statewide registry.

In New York, meanwhile, Local Law 18 created a short-term rental registry to curb illegal rentals, which for years have largely avoided the grip of law enforcement.

—Holden Walter-Warner

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