Andrew Molitor

ALBANY – State Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield, is in favor of the new short-term rental bill, A05686.

The bill, sponsored by State Assemblywoman Gabriella Romero, D-Albany, will amend the real property law and the tax law, in relation to short term rental units.

“This legislation aims to regulate the short term rental system,” Romero said. “Procedurally, this Chapter (672) amendment differs from the bill previously passed in that these changes have the legislation work through an opt out program, county by county, instead of a statewide registry through the Department of State.”

Romero added that counties that do not opt out will be able to regulate and register their short-term rental units.

“This legislation also provides for the collection of sales tax on short term rental units statewide,” Romero said.

Molitor added that he voted “yes” for the bill because he said it bolsters and makes the old bill better.

“I really appreciate that it gives counties the option to opt out, if they don’t want to do the registry,” Molitar said.

According to an Assembly memo in support of legislation, the justification of the bill is because the state is facing a dire shortage of housing supply, specifically affordable and workforce housing, which is causing instability across communities. While solving the housing crisis will take significant investment and bold legislative action, one area of housing policy that must be addressed is the extreme proliferation of short-term rentals. Municipalities across upstate New York saw a record influx of relocated residents and visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many municipalities, the ability to welcome visitors for short-term stays has been a welcomed source of income, and for our smaller cities and towns,increased tourism has bolstered their economies.