Kennebunk will implement a short-term rental ordinance beginning in January 2025.
The ordinance was adopted by voters in the June municipal election, and will allow for any dwelling unit or accessory dwelling unit in town to be rented for 15 days or less.
Kennebunkport already has a short-term rental ordinance in place, which allows for short-term rentals for 30 consecutive days or less.
This ordinance is important in Kennebunkport, as the Goose Rocks Beach neighborhoods have a long history of short-term rentals.
Every summer, the town’s population swells by an estimated 10,000 or more, and short-term rentals are often necessary to accommodate the influx of people.
Short-term rentals also open up opportunities for homeowners to earn extra income by offering their properties on rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
Kennebunk is currently in the process of registering short-term rentals, including conducting safety checks with the town’s fire department.
“It’s pretty safety focused at this point,” Kennebunk Town Manager Heather Balser said.
For Kennebunkport, some of the challenges with short-term rentals have been homeowners not registering their properties for that purpose, Kennebunkport Town Manager Laurie Smith said.
But overall, the ordinance has been successful.
“Since we adopted it, I have not gotten complaints about rental units,” Smith said. “Most everybody is complying.”
Select board members briefly discussed the issue of affordable housing at the Sept. 3 joint meeting.
Currently, Kennebunk is in the process of conducting a housing assessment, and the town hopes to have results in the next few months.
The town has had issues with maintaining long-term rentals, Balser said, which contributes to a lack of housing in town.
Kennebunkport Board of Selectmen member David Bancroft offered a possible solution to some of the housing crisis in the area: the Kennebunkport Heritage Trust is working to create housing in the next year.
“They would look for residents working in the towns,” Bancroft said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to become homeowners.”
