Short-Term Vacation Rental Business License Requirement Coming For Cumberland?

Cumberland might be looking at requiring business licenses or on-site caretakers for property owners who want to make homes available for short-term vacation rentals.

Cumberland might be looking at requiring business licenses or on-site caretakers for property owners who want to make homes available for short-term vacation rentals.

Facing both a shortage of vacation accommodations, especially in busy summer seasons, and a low vacancy rate for residents, the village has been looking to strike a balance between affordable housing and meeting demands of visitors.

In recent months, the village had undertaken a project to get feedback from the community about developing a new vacation rentals policy.

From workshops and an online survey, a key strategy that emerged was setting up a requirement for rental operators to get a business license, which would have to be included on all advertising.

Another idea that many participants in the process liked was a stipulation that a caretaker be required to live on site at rental properties, though it could either be in the main dwelling or a secondary one.

The plan now is to send the draft report to various committees in April for comments, which could then be incorporated into a final version in May.

At the end of the discussion, Coun. Sean Sullivan made a motion to refer the vacation rental report to the village’s Advisory Planning Commission, Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee and Economic Steering Committee for comment. The motion passed unanimously.