Progressives Push to Ban Some Short-Term Rentals

The progressive advocacy group behind Kingston’s Good Cause Eviction law has set its sights on another housing issue- homes maintained as short-stay vacation rentals marketed on online platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. For the Many’s “Homes are not Hotels” campaign is seeking an outright ban on non-owner-occupied vacation rentals in five Mid-Hudson communities.

The push to ban vacation rentals in Kingston, Beacon, Newburgh, New-Paltz, and Poughkeepsie comes as communities across the Hudson Valley see explosive growth in vacation rentals driven by the region’s expanding tourist economy. In many cases, the short-stay accommodations are held as investment properties by owners who do not live at the home, or even in the state.