HILLSDALE, NY – At its monthly meeting on Dec.10, 2019 the Town Board unanimously adopted a new local law regulating “Transient Rentals” (otherwise known as short term rentals) in the Town of Hillsdale. The new law defines Transient Rentals as the rental or lease of any dwelling to a “Transient Guest” for a period of less than 30 days, and specifically excludes hotels, motels, inns and bed and breakfasts. Transient Rentals include listings booked through online platforms, such as Airbnb and Home Away.

Among its provisions, the law requires Transient Rental owners to:

First - Obtain a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), and

Second - Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Compliance from the Town Building Inspector.

The law requires an inspection of all Transient Rentals by the Building Inspector for compliance with the NYS Uniform Code at the time the applicable Certificate is obtained and subsequently as required by county or state law. The owner is responsible for payment of inspection fees.

The law also requires the Transient Rental owner to provide current information of a local contact person who must reside within 20 miles of the Transient Rental and be available at all times for the purpose of responding promptly to complaints. If the owner’s principal residence is not located within the county, the local contact person, or other agent who resides in the county, must be designated as agent for service of legal process and all other notices.

Finally, the new local law has provisions designed to ensure that occupants of a Transient Rental remain good neighbors and makes Special Permits non transferable.

A complete copy of this new local law is available on the Town website. For more information, call the Town Code Enforcement Officer, Lee Heim, at 518-325-5073.

(press release sent to WSBS from the Town of Hillsdale, New York for online and on-air use) 

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