Ancram Town Board passes local law to regulate short-term rentals

ANCRAM — Recognizing the growing phenomenon of property owners renting out their homes, especially as many city dwellers have been heading northward to escape to the country during the coronavirus pandemic, the town of Ancram enacted a local law this past December to permit and regulate short-term rentals (STRs) in town to offer STR owners guidelines for managing their property in order to minimize the impact on their neighbors and community.

STRs in Ancram

Though STRs weren’t considered a permitted use in Ancram prior to the local law’s adoption, Ancram town Supervisor Art Bassin observed that people were already doing so in town and that it seemed a popular way for property owners to use their property when they weren’t there. In recent months, he said he believes the town has just less than two dozen residents who are currently offering STRs in Ancram based on an analysis conducted by the STR monitoring and compliance company, Host Compliance. 

Bassin explained that while the town decided it would permit the use of STRs, it wanted to have some oversight on how they operated in Ancram. In a way, he said, the Town Board passed the local law “to recognize that this was a phenomenon we weren’t going to block.

“I think most of us believe that when you own a property, you should be able to do what you want without creating a disturbance to your neighbors,” Bassin noted. “I think we’re putting into place the kind of oversight that will protect the community and the property owner at the same time.”

The local law regarding STRs was adopted at the Ancram Town Board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. That same month, the Town Board amended the town’s zoning law to include policy, procedures and standards governing STRs, according to an e-mail sent from Bassin in recent months. 

After it was filed with New York State, the local law officially went into effect on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, and can now be found on the Town of Ancram website, www.ancramny.org, under “Local Law #2 of 2020.”

On Friday, Jan. 29, Bassin released an e-mail detailing new guidelines for STRs in Ancram, which requires all STRs to comply by Monday, June 7. STRs were defined in the e-mail as the use of land for “rental for payment of a portion of a dwelling unit, entire dwelling unit, accessory apartment, portion of an accessory apartment, free-standing accessory dwelling or portion of a free-standing accessory dwelling.” 

The term also refers to “the rental for payment of a portion or whole part of a property where no principal or accessory use building exists.” For both definitions, the rental involves a period of 30 consecutive days or less where the property owner may or may not be present for either a part or the entirety of the rental.

Bassin’s email stated that all STRs require a special-use permit (SUP) approved by the Ancram Planning Board. The SUP is valid for one year after which time it becomes eligible for renewal, and the SUP application requires a site plan of the property, a floor plan, photographs, proof of tax payment, septic certification, certificate of insurance, owner contact information and fees. 

At this time, the proposed Ancram Building Department inspection fee is $250 while the proposed Planning Board special permit fee is $150 plus advertising and mailing fees.

Additionally, the SUP review process requires an inspection by Ancram Code Enforcement Officer Ed Ferratto. After the initial inspection, Bassin said the town will require that an inspection of the property be done every year. Once the property is deemed safe and up to STR standards, he said it will be up to the property owner to make sure his or her guest or guests aren’t going to be disruptive. Annual renewals of both the inspection and the SUP will be required for the STR.

To comply with STR regulations, current and prospective STR owners can contact the Ancram Building Department via email at buildingdepartment@ancramny.org or via phone at 518-329-6512, ext. 207 where they can arrange an inspection of the premises with Ferratto. STR owners must have a short term rental building permit application from the Ancram Building Department, which will allow the inspection of their property.

STR owners may also obtain an SUP application form from Planning Board Secretary John Hoffman by emailing planningboard@ancramny.org or calling 518-329-6512, ext. 205. Once the SUP application is completed, it can be submitted to Hoffman either by email, by faxing it to 518-329-6535 or a hard copy may be dropped of by appointment to 1416 County Route 7 in Ancram.

Concerning his hopes for this new local law, Bassin said, “This is a phenomenon that we are watching carefully, and we hope the neighbors will be responsible and careful and that everything works out.”

Hillsdale transient rentals

Meanwhile, in the neighboring town of Hillsdale, local officials have been pleased to see how well STRs are operating in town since the Hillsdale Town Board adopted the local law in December of 2019 to regulate transient rentals. Transient rentals were previously defined by former Hillsdale town Supervisor Peter Cipkowksi as “the rental or lease of any dwelling to a ‘Transient Guest’ for a period of fewer than 30 days [excluding hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs],” and can include listings booked through online rental platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway. A copy of the transient rental law can be found on the town’s website at www.hillsdaleny.com.

Considering the benefits of having STRs available in Hillsdale and how the majority of renters are weekenders, Hillsdale Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Craig Norton said, “It’s the same for most places, at least for most of our little towns, is that the short-term rental thing cuts both ways: It’s a benefit to the local economy as much as it can bring into town, but it also puts pressure on the already tight rental housing market. Rents have become harder to find and less affordable.”

For the sake of efficiency, Norton said the town isn’t forcing people to register en mass, but rather “letting them dribble in, in organic fashion.” Likewise, he said they haven’t set a deadline for when people can register or shut down their homes.