Oswego is looking at regulating short-term home rentals for temporary guests advertised on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
Oswego trustees as a committee of the whole will discuss the matter at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill.
The popularity of short-term rentals has greatly increased over the past 10 years through companies like Airbnb and Vrbo, making it easier and more accessible to rent residential property, Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said in a report to trustees.
“Oswego is no exception, as properties have been advertised on these sites over the years leading to resident opinions on both sides of the issue,” Zenner said.
The village has received three calls for police assistance from such properties. While some residents have requested the village consider some sort of regulation, there are others who are against the idea, he said.
“Some residents have indicated that they do not support the village restricting property owner rights or investments,” Zenner said in the report.
Oswego currently does not specifically regulate short-term or long-term rental properties. There are an estimated six short-term rental units in the village listed on online platforms, Zenner said.
Several residents from the Lakeview Estates subdivision at the Feb. 1 Village Board meeting voiced their concerns after they said police were called to respond to an incident outside of a rental unit in their neighborhood.
The village already regulates a number of things including food trucks, pawn shops, tattoo piercing and video gambling, so it only makes sense for oversight of profitable rental properties that operate similar to a hotel, the residents said.
“We know there’s hesitation by some folks to dive into this at the village level, but I personally think it is the duty of the village to do something about this,” said John Denbo, who represents the East Side Lakeview Estates Homeowners Association.
While the group is seeking legal advice, a homeowners association is not equipped to oversee regulation and enforcement that is better left to the village, Denbo said.
“This is not something a group of homeowners who sit on a homeowners association board are going to tackle,” Denbo said.
Staff has prepared a report for trustees to discuss that includes three options. One is to allow these rental properties to continue to operate without specific regulations. However, they would have to comply with village regulations concerning parking, noise and property maintenance. A homeowners association can adopt regulations to restrict or prohibit such uses. However, some of the short-term properties are popping up in neighborhoods that don’t have a homeowners association, Zenner said.
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A second option is to impose some level of regulation which could require property owners looking to rent out their homes on a short-term basis to register their sites. The village could also require licensing, annual inspections and background checks similar to liquor license holders, Zenner said.
A third option is to require a minimum number of days for a short-term rental, similar to what Naperville has done. In Sugar Grove, short-term rentals are not permitted in residential zoning districts, according to the report.
Communities that have looked to ban short-term rentals have faced constitutional challenges, Zenner said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.