Babylon Village bans short-term rentals

The Village of Babylon recently put a short-term rental ban into effect, and Mayor Ralph Scordino says that residents are happy with the outcome.

“There were complaints of noise, extra cars in the street and issues pertaining to a quality of life that we’re not used to in the village,” said Scordino. “I got a lot of feedback from the residents and they were all happy with the turnout.”

Over the last several months, Babylon Village trustees were in talks about what to do with issues that rental services like Airbnb were causing. Eventually, it started to become not only a nuisance but also a concern.

Scordino said that there were some rentals that were owned by absentee landlords, some living out-of-state and some who were not inspecting the homes.  

“It was problematic and began to become a safety issue,” he said.

That’s when the village began to work towards a solution that ended up being a long, thought-out process.

“It took thought,” he said. “We spoke with our village attorney, had a public hearing at first, and got a lot of good ideas from the public.”

On Nov. 12, the trustees unanimously voted to pass a local law that bans homeowners from renting out their homes for less than 30 nights. Rentals that surpass the month-long stay would need a renter permit from the landlord.

Those who violate the law will have to pay a fine between $500 and $1,000 or 15 days in prison for the first offense. The fine can increase up to $5,000 after three or more offenses.

“The goal was to make sure that everyone is on the same track,” the mayor said. “Safety first.”

An Airbnb spokesperson told GreaterBabylon “Airbnb supports common-sense regulation of home-sharing and that’s why we have worked with dozens of municipalities across the state to craft policy that fits both the needs of local government as well as those of our community.”

The statement continued, “We have serious concerns about any restrictions that could hurt the local residents who rely on home sharing for extra income, as well as small businesses that benefit from visitors, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with Babylon to develop reasonable regulations.”

In comparison to other towns and villages across Long Island, Babylon Village has a small short-term rental community, somewhere between only 10-20 listings.

And just last month, Airbnb put in new incentives to help protect residents, homeowners and their guests. Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s CEO and head of community, announced a set of safety directives including new guest standards and a house party ban.

Top: Argyle Lake photo by Angela Sasso of Angela Sasso Photography.