Update, Oct. 21: New Haven's mayor, labor unions and clergy publicly backed the proposed short-term rental ordinance at a City Hall rally on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and East Shore Alder Leland Moore voiced support.
NEW HAVEN, CT — Supporters at Tuesday evening's rally on the City Hall steps argued that short-term rentals are pricing residents out of the city, NBC Connecticut reported. Moore is one of the three alders who submitted the ordinance. The Rev. Scott Marks, who directs New Haven Rising, said fewer rental units push prices up. New Haven Firefighters Union President Miguel Rosado said regular inspections of rentals would help, citing renovated properties where exits had been removed.
Moore told WFSB he worries about what the city's neighborhoods will look like in 10 or 20 years. He said the goal is to make New Haven more affordable so residents can buy homes in East Shore or Wooster Square. WFSB also quoted renter Lamar Austin, who said the measure would help keep the Dixwell neighborhood from becoming a revolving door.
Airbnb said the ordinance would harm everyday residents without reducing the housing shortage, NBC Connecticut reported. The company said it welcomes the chance to work with the Board of Alders on rules targeted to the issue.
The Ordinance Goes Before the Committee
The Board of Alders' Legislation Committee will take up the proposed ordinance at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Board of Alders Chamber at 165 Church Street, according to the committee's agenda. The agenda lists OR-2026-0039, “Ordinance Amendment ... Establishing a Short-Term Rental License Program.”
Wooster Square Alder Mandy Martinelli, one of the three alders who submitted the measure, said it would keep short-term rentals to owner-occupied homes so more units stay open to long-term tenants. The proposal was submitted as a communication on the full Board of Alders agenda and sent to a committee for review before a possible final vote, the New Haven Independent reported. WFSB reported the proposal was submitted in late September.
What the Proposal Would Do
The draft would ban what it calls “vacation rentals”: stays of 30 consecutive days or less in a unit that no eligible resident uses as a primary home, according to the New Haven Independent. Hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts would be exempt.
Homeowners and long-term residents who rent out part of their primary home could still operate, but they would need a “home-sharing license” renewed every three years and managed by the Livable City Initiative. WFSB reported a maximum of 10 guests. The New Haven Independent reported a limit of ten people in total or two per bedroom, excluding minor children. The Independent also reported that no more than two separate visitor groups could stay per date.
If approved and signed into law, the license program would take effect March 31, 2027, the Independent reported. AirDNA counts 728 active short-term listings in New Haven, the Independent noted.
Similar regulations have been adopted in 15 towns and cities in the state, the alders say, NBC Connecticut reported. More than a dozen cities have rules in place, including East Haven and West Haven, WFSB reported.