RHINEBECK, NY – Several changes to the recently passed short-term rental law will allow fewer guests in the future.
Under rule changes approved Monday following a City Council public hearing to reduce the 12-customer limit, only 10 people will be allowed in the building at one time.
“We felt that short-term rentals should not have an advantage over bed and breakfast businesses, so we limited the number to 10 people,” said Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia.
According to municipal regulations, bed and breakfast accommodations have a catering service, which requires approval from the county health department.
Other last-minute changes included that up to two inspections can be carried out before a permit is granted and that a window must be installed in each bedroom for rent that can be used as an emergency exit.
These changes were in addition to changes publicly proposed during a July 8 meeting. Officials agreed to exempt working farms from the requirement that owners live in the homes they use for income as short-term rentals and to allow the use of accessory dwellings on adjacent properties as long as owners live in the main home.
Spinzia said the change in agricultural use requires the properties to be located in a designated agricultural district.
“What we’ve allowed here is short-term rentals of property within a certified New York State agricultural district, as defined in the … Farm and Markets Act,” she said. “We have about a dozen farms in Rhinebeck. … We want to support events and agritourism, we want to support farms, so we want to allow short-term rentals on farms.”
The change allowing accessory dwellings on adjacent properties should only affect two properties, Spinzia said.
“Instead of forcing them to undergo costly boundary adjustment or consolidation, we want them to be able to rent the apartments as long as they live in the adjacent house and the area is less than 1,000 square feet,” she said.
