The Legislative Council found itself presented with an interesting conundrum at its recent meeting on January 21. A resident approached the council for a second time after some talks with Councilman Ben Ruben, asking the town to consider a ban on short term rentals such as AirBnB rentals.

The resident, Don Morrissey of Merlins Lane, said he and his neighbors have struggled with a home on the street that is regularly used for short term rentals, and 47 of them signed a letter asking for the property owner to discontinue using it as such.

Morrissey expressed safety concerns as well as concerns over loud noise as temporary vacationers come into the otherwise quiet neighborhood with excessive noise. He also noted that parents are concerned about allowing their children to play in the area because of “transient guests” coming to the neighborhood constantly, as well as the nuisance of strangers mistaking other houses as the rental home.

Morrissey acknowledged the usefulness of AirBnBs in vacation areas, “but not in family communities.”

Ruben then nailed the core of the dilemma during his remarks. “I hear both sides, I have a problem telling people what they can and can’t do with their own properties. But I wouldn’t want to work my whole life for my own home only to have a rental put in next door.”

Councilman Arnie Berman wondered if there was a way to “thread the needle” between property owners’ rights and the rights of nearby homeowners to not have their quality of life reduced by essentially being located next to a business that was not there when they purchased their homes.

An AirBnB is essentially a business, a public area located in what would otherwise be a private home, that can be rented out for as short a period as a single day, and is most often rented as part of a vacation for a week or two. It is a popular business model and estimates say there are under 100 currently located in Newtown. Newtown does not have an ordinance, but does have an unspoken policy against short term rentals.

It is a valid concern for any resident. Vacationers do not tend to treat properties or their surroundings as well as someone who owns and is vested in the property. Parties, loud music, people being up at all hours of the night, and other excessive noise problems could become regularities. This is definitely an issue that the town should look into addressing.

And this does not acknowledge the additional issue of homes being used solely as rentals, which reduces the inventory of single family houses that could be someone’s personal home, tightening the market and driving up prices. We’ve all seen the increase in home prices over the past five-plus years, and short term rentals are one of many factors contributing to the escalating values.

While a full ban might not be in the cards, it is certainly hoped that some kind of limit will be instituted that will assist people like Morrissey so they can enjoy their homes like the rest of us.

The matter was referred to the council’s Ordinance Subcommittee, which already has a number of things on its docket. Unfortunately, the process may take a while and patience will be necessary.