•David

South Portland city councilors met recently with residents to get input on how short-term rentals are impacting the city.

Some are concerned that short-term rentals are driving housing prices up - because people are buying houses to use as full-time short-term rentals - and ruining the character of neighborhoods by introducing a large transient population.

Other residents see sharing parts of their homes as a good source of income.

The city is in the process of creating a short-term-rental ordinance similar to that recently adopted by Portland.

The short-term rental business has gotten too big to stay unregulated. There are major health and safety issues here, not to mention the un-level playing field these rentals create for licensed hotels and BnBs.

Let's have some regulations with teeth, South Portland.