Vineyard towns have started to wrap their arms around regulating the thousands of short-term rentals on the Island, tackling an issue that housing advocates have long said exacerbates the ongoing housing crisis.
Vineyard towns have started to wrap their arms around regulating the thousands of short-term rentals on the Island, tackling an issue that housing advocates have long said exacerbates the ongoing housing crisis.
The new regulations cement the process for homeowners to be able to make money by renting out their properties while the town attempts to deter commercial interests from hollowing out the year-round housing stock.
The West Tisbury select board is considering putting the final touches on new short-term rental regulations passed at town meeting earlier this year.
The short-term rental committee was created after town meeting last month passed limits on vacation rentals. The town is the first on the Island to create a bylaw on the controversial properties.
Vineyard vacation rental companies are advising clients to consider lowering their weekly rates in response to a large number of vacancies this season.
West Tisbury is now the first town on the Island to enact regulations around short-term rentals, though other towns have also started to consider the best way to handle the controversial properties.
