The Waitsfield Select Board is considering a short-term rental registry that would establish basic safety and operating standards while giving the town better information about how many short-term rentals operate in the community.
The proposal was developed by the Waitsfield Planning Commission at the select board’s request. The commission spent several months researching approaches used in other Vermont communities before adapting a model from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
Board chair Brian Shupe said the town has heard both about the benefits of short-term rentals in a destination community and concerns about their effects on neighborhoods.
“There’s been a lot of talk about short-term rentals, both the benefits that they bring the community by providing housing for guests, but also potential impacts,” Shupe said.
Planning commission chair Emma Hansen said one reason for the proposed registry is that the town currently has limited information about its short-term rental market.
SAFETY STANDARDS
“We don’t know if we have a problem,” Hanson said, noting that the town knows of at least one problematic rental on Spring Hill Road but does not have enough data to determine whether short-term rentals are contributing significantly to housing availability issues.
The proposed registry would require short-term rental operators to provide information to the town and meet baseline standards involving occupancy, parking, garbage and emergency contacts. Properties would also be expected to have a key-access box to allow firefighters to enter during an emergency.
Hansen said the goal is to create basic safety standards while collecting information to help the town better understand the role of short-term rentals.
“We will gain more information because right now we also don’t even really know if we have a problem,” she said.
LIGHT APPROACH
The proposal does not include a cap on the number of short-term rentals in Waitsfield. Hanson said the Planning Commission intentionally chose a lighter approach than some communities have adopted.
Waitsfield Planning and Zoning Administrator JB Weir estimated there may be 150 to 160 short-term rentals in town, although the exact number is unknown.
The proposal also would not initially use a third-party company to identify rental properties through online listings. Instead, the town would publicize the registry and encourage owners to register voluntarily.
Failure to register could eventually constitute a violation, but the town does not intend to proactively identify every unregistered rental at this stage. Complaints or reports from neighbors could prompt follow-up.
YEAR ROUND
Town administrator York Haverkamp said knowing where short-term rentals are located could also help the town address wastewater capacity, since the town is working on a wastewater ordinance that treats short-term rentals differently from year-round residences.
The proposed standards would largely rely on self-verification rather than town inspections. Weir said applicants would attest that their properties meet the requirements, while the town could investigate if a complaint were received.
The proposal also leaves the registration fee unresolved. The select board could establish a fee separately through its fee schedule.
MORE OUTREACH
Board members expressed support for continuing the discussion.
Select board vice chair Larissa Ursprung said the town should talk with short-term rental owners and community stakeholders before moving toward a formal public hearing.
“I feel like having conversations with the Short-Term Rental Alliance because anecdotally it sounds like there are folks who own short-term rentals who are interested in seeing something like this,” Ursprung said.
Hanson said the planning commission did not intend the proposal as a response to a single problem property. Instead, she said the registry would establish standards for all short-term rentals while allowing the town to collect information that could inform future decisions.
YEAR ROUND
The data could eventually help the town determine how often properties are used as short-term rentals and whether they represent housing that might otherwise be available to year-round residents.
Haverkamp noted that the town currently lacks precise data connecting short-term rentals with housing availability. A registry could help distinguish between properties rented year-round and homes rented for only part of the year.
The board plans additional outreach before deciding whether to move the proposal forward. Haverkamp said he would work with the planning commission to identify stakeholders and organize discussions with the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The board also expects to review examples of how other Vermont communities regulate short-term rentals and seek legal review before moving toward adoption.
