Glen Cove City Council votes to ban Airbnbs, other short-term rentals in city
They also voted to ban the use of the app Swimply, which allows people to rent their pools by the hour.
More Stories
Glen Cove’s City Council voted Tuesday to ban the use of Airbnbs and other short-term rental properties within the city.
They also voted to ban the use of the app Swimply, which allows people to rent their pools by the hour.
The resolution bans property rentals for a period of less than 28 days.
City leaders say police responded to the same Airbnb rental several times within the last several weeks for large parties.
“We got complaints about one particular Airbnb over the last few weeks,” says Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck. “Three complaints involving the police and police cannot do anything without a law like this in effect.”
Neighbors reached out to them about the issues, saying they don’t like not knowing who lives next door to them.
Glen Cove City Councilman Jack Mancusi says enforcement of the new rule will be up to neighbors.
“It’s almost like saying then we can have a free-for-all – rent your properties, have parties, and that’s not good for the neighbors,” Mancusi says. “So, what this ordinance does is it really protects the neighbors. So, if the neighbors don’t have a problem with anything, then the police really have no reason to go there.”
The decision to ban Swimply came after someone nearly drowned in a pool.
Not everyone in the city, however, thinks the ban is a good idea.
Frank, who lives in Glen Cove, says he is happy that the City Council took precautions but feels they may have overreacted.
“It’d probably be optimal for them to just have maybe more regulations or stricter rules so the local people here can have some freedom, but there’s more of a safety factor,” Frank says.
News 12 reached out to Airbnb and Vrbo for comment and waiting for a response.
It is not clear how many transient rental properties operate in Glen Cove.
