Those here for a good time, not a long time, may soon have a harder time finding a place to stay in Connecticut.
If passed, a new bill being mulled by lawmakers would potentially result in significantly less short-term rental availability across the state.
Called Bill 335, the ordinance would grant Connecticut municipalities the power to regulate short-term rental allowances within their confines and address problems that have arisen with overcrowding, disruptive guests and parking problems in recent years.
“This bill is very simple and it’s to give structure for which short-term rentals or Airbnbs can fit into a residential neighborhood or not,” District 19 State Senator Catherine Osten, who is leading the effort for the bill, told the New Haven station WTNH.
The legislation would help prioritize homeowners, many of whom have complained to Osten that, as a result of residences being rented to temporary visitors over platforms like Airbnb, the well-being of full-time residents has diminished.
If enacted, Bill 335 would allow locales to impose zoning restrictions, guest occupancy limits and parking requirements on properties being leased on only a brief basis.
“When people buy a home, they want to feel safe and that’s not a safe environment for someone and we could make a change for the good and that’s why I want to talk about it now,” said Osten.
For many Connecticut residents, the ability to adopt more aggressive new restrictions similar to those recently passed in New York City, New Orleans and Burlington in Vermont can’t come soon enough. Norwich resident Stewart Peil told the outlet that his quality of life has been seriously impeded by the short-term rental across the street from his home.
“Huge parties, loud music, all kinds of people, lots of cars, people parking in my driveway, people parking down the street blocking access to the road,” he said of the problems the situation has caused for him and virtually the entire neighborhood, most of whom have reached out to elected officials for help.