Southampton Coronavirus: Town Cracks Down On Short-Term Rentals

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — In light of the escalating number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, Southampton Town is cracking down on short-term rentals.

With 15,637 cases of confirmed coronavirus statewide, as of Tuesday, Southampton Town had 216.

On Tuesday, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman announced that ordinance enforcement division would put the brakes on short-term rentals during the month of April.

Southampton Town already requires that all rental properties obtain a rental permit and adhere to a minimum rental period of two weeks, he said.

However, he said: "Many properties use online platforms in Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway to secure short-term tenancies that violate the two week minimum. Many properties are renting by the night or for just the weekend at a time when the community is growing increasingly concerned about new people entering the community from the New York metropolitan area, the nation’s epicenter for the virus."

On March 28, a release from Schneiderman's office said, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory, urging residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel.

The short-term rentals “not only violate the law, they violate the spirit of the travel advisory,” he said.

On March 24, members of the federal coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, recommended that travelers from New York City self-quarantine for 14 days, he added.

“How can that be achieved if people are coming out here for only a few days?” Schneiderman asked. “It’s one thing if a family comes to a property for several weeks. Yes, there is an increased risk. But when a property turns over several times in the same period, there is a significantly increased risk."

People leaving the city could be behind an uptick in infections in places such as Florida and Long Island, Birx and Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said.

Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, veered from that advice. "I would not follow that," Zucker said, adding that folks who've been in the city recently should continue following the guidelines set forth by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as social distancing.

Schneiderman said the ordinance enforcement division is already tasked with enforcing state directives on non-essential business operation and social distancing protocols. Now, he said, the division will gear up for a crackdown on short-term rentals occurring in April during the period of the state emergency order.

Fines for violations can be up to two times the rental revenues collected and can include revocation of a rental permit.

Schneiderman said he would like to see all fines used to support local food pantries that have already seen a four-fold increase in service demand, he added.

Schneiderman is working with Public Safety Director Ryan Murphy on the crackdown; Murphy also directs the town's ordinance enforcement division.

“We are launching this crackdown on flagrant abusers of our rental law beginning immediately,” said Murphy. “We are focusing on the period of the state emergency order which runs through April 29. Anyone we find engaging in short-term rental activities, including the posting of a short-term rental listing for this period, will be subject to significant financial penalties."

On March 27, citing concerns about the area’s limited healthcare system and infrastructure, Schneiderman sent a letter, co-signed by many East End elected leaders, to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, asking him to consider restrictions on non-essential travel from New York City, “including daily sightseeing visits and leisure travel to vacation homes.”

Cuomo said on Sunday that he was unaware of any elected officials on the East End asking for people not to come out to their second homes — despite the letter asking him to consider just that, as cases of the coronavirus continued to sweep across Long Island.

At Sunday's press briefing, a question was asked about New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy telling residents not to go to their second homes at the Jersey Shore, and whether Cuomo would consider a similar measure for New Yorkers heading to areas such as the East End.

"I have not," Cuomo said. "I will take a look at the New Jersey order. But I haven't heard local officials raise concerns."

In late March, however, despite urging from East End supervisors for possible travel restrictions, Cuomo said it was not in his plans even amid a spike in confirmed cases of coronavirus across Long Island.

When asked about a possible travel ban suggested by county or local officials, Cuomo said: "Counties can come up with whatever they want, but I don't have any travel ban on my agenda."

Flattening the curve

“We are all trying to flatten the curve as quickly as possible,” said Schneiderman. “It is made much more difficult when new people are constantly entering your community, particularly from a known coronavirus hot spot.”

Although the governor has not issued any of the requested travel restrictions, Schneiderman said he believes “strictly enforcing our existing restrictions on short-term rentals will achieve a similar end and help protect our community.”

Schneiderman said that the town would make a full exemption from the rental law if the rental is for healthcare workers responding to the Covid-19 epidemic.

Airbnb responds

Airbnb responded to requests for comment from Patch: "Airbnb is working with local governments in realtime," said Josh Meltzer, head of northeast policy for Airbnb. "We also want to ensure that short-term rentals are an available resource for frontline responders and those sheltering in place during this crisis."

Airbnb is communicating directly with hosts and guests to provide guidance on applicable local and statewide orders. In addition, Airbnb has launched a program that has resulted in 100,000 homes being offered up by its host community to help house medical workers who need safe places to stay and self-isolate near hospitals.

Airbnb's platform has also been updated to advise guests to check local travel restrictions before booking stays; guests see the message prior to booking. The business said it has also sent communications widely to its host community encouraging each to check local orders with a link to its travel restriction directory page, which is being updated in realtime. Airbnb is reinforcing its public health guidance and, the business said it continues to provide "robust cleaning guidance" to hosts in partnership with epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant.

VRBO and HomeAway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other elected officials said Tuesday they might be considering a rental ban or were asking those. coming from New York City to quarantine in place.