Airbnb complaints expected to mount soon

The phone is starting to ring in the office of town Zoning Enforcement Officer Warren Tutt.

With warm weather approaching, some Shandaken residents want to know if the town has any laws set up to curb problems that can arise from the flourishing short-term rental industry.

“We’ve been getting inquiries as to how we’re proceeding with it,” Tutt said.

At a recent Town Planning Board meeting, Chairman Don Brewer asked Tutt if his office had been getting complaints. Tutt said no, but added there might be a reason for that.

“There’s fewer complaints in the winter because fewer people are outside,” Tutt said. “... There’s fewer people outside, and windows are closed. In the summer, everyone stays out late, so I’m sure, in a month or so,” there will be more complaints.

Tutt plans to look into the option of incorporating Airbnb-type rentals into an existing part of the town zoning law. He noted the town of Woodstock succeeded in covering short-term rentals under its standing laws regarding bed-and-breakfasts. Establishing new laws, Tutt said, could take a few months and require the state to play a role.

Shandaken Planning Board member Joanne Kalb, however, said creating a new section of law for short-term rentals might be the way to go instead of trying to shoe-horn the business into some other part of the town code.

“We’re selling ourselves short by rolling it into bedand-breakfasts because there are gaps there,” Kalb said. “Big gaps.”

Tutt noted that if things get out of hand with Airbnbtype rentals in Shandaken, the town has the option of halting the practice.

“If we don’t have it listed in our code or something similar in our code than, according to us, it’s prohibited,” he said. “But do we really want to go the road saying all Airbnbs are prohibited?”

Planning Board member Alan Shiner asked Tutt to look into how Woodstock handles things.

“Find out what they’re doing about enforcement,” he said.

Tutt responded that he believes enforcement in Shandaken would fall on his office and that he doubted it could be effective.

“I can see where this is going,” Tutt said. “I’m going to send out notices of violation to Brooklyn every week and they’re going to get ignored.”