BRANFORD COMMUNITY SURVEY - Short Term Rentals

The Rules & Ordinances Committee of the Branford Representative Town Meeting is considering proposing an ordinance regulating short-term rentals.
Short term rentals are generally defined as rental of a dwelling or portion thereof for less than 30 days. They allow property owners to generate income from property which might otherwise be vacant or underused. They give visitors an alternative to hotels and an opportunity to meet locals, especially in rentals where the host is present.
On the other hand, short-term rentals may result in more intense use of property and may impinge on the peaceful enjoyment of neighboring residents. Additionally, in a tight housing market, short-term rentals may reduce the stock of available long-term housing.
At a minimum, there may be more traffic and competition for street parking. Visitors may disturb neighbors by arriving and departing at odd hours. Moreover, particularly when the host is not present, visitors may use the property more intensively than long term residents would. There may be more people packed in, more intense use of community resources like beaches, and even parties and events like weddings far more frequently than long-term residents would have.
For these reasons the R&O Committee is surveying the residents of Branford to determine what concerns, if any, the community may have with an increasing number of short-term rental properties in Branford. Please answer as many of these questions as you wish.

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* 1. Name (optional)

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* 2. Preferred Contact (if you would like to discuss your thoughts further)

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* 3. Do you own any real estate used for short term rental?

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* 4. Do you live in a shoreline neighborhood?

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* 5. Do you have any first-hand experience with residences being rented on a short-term basis?

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* 6. Have those experiences caused you concerns?

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* 7. Do you have acquaintances who have had first-hand experience with STRs?

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* 8. Have those experiences caused you or them concerns

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* 9. It is evident that within Short Term Rentals there are several quite different categories of rental circumstances ranging from absentee-owners who are renting rooms on a nightly basis to owners of summer cottages who may rent out their cottage for a week or two several times during the summer: If Branford establishes regulations for STRs, do you think that the details should differ for different categories of rental?

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* 10. Do you think that some categories of STRs should be banned altogether?

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* 11. There is some evidence that short-term rentals may result in more intense use of property and may impinge on the peaceful enjoyment of neighboring residents. Additionally, in a tight housing market, short-term rentals may reduce the stock of available affordable long-term housing: Are you concerned that these factors may impact Branford in the future if STRs are not somewhat regulated

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* 12. One aspect of a STR regulation might be a requirement for all owners of STRs to register their residences with the Town. This might include a brief description of the category of rental, number of bedrooms, minimum length of stay, etc. This would allow the Town to monitor the extent of STRs and compliance with regulations established: Should Branford require registration of short-term rental properties that are being rented for periods of less than one month? Such registration might require a small fee for hosts/landlords

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* 13. In some instances, STRs may result in more people in a neighborhood, more intense use of community resources like beaches, and even parties and events like weddings far more frequently than long-term residents would like: Do you think that short-term rental of residences for use as wedding venues, group-retreats, parties, etc. should be banned altogether?

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* 14. Should Branford regulate all or some types of short-term rentals (rentals for less than 30 days)?

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* 15. If yes, should regulation ban altogether certain categories of STRs?

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* 16. In some cases, rental tenants my wish to rent out all or part of their tenancy as a STR: Should Branford allow landlords of multi-family dwellings to prohibit tenants from using their rented facility for short-term rentals? Cities like Long Beach and New York allow landlords to place their buildings on a "prohibited buildings" list.

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* 17. Intense use of property may impinge on neighbors in denser neighborhoods than in those with acre plus zoning: Should Branford have different regulations depending on lot size or setbacks?

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* 18. Should neighborhoods (perhaps by census tract) be able to petition for stricter or looser regulation of their neighborhoods?

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* 19. If yes, who should be eligible to petition?

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