Obviously, all the towns in our area are doing something for short-term rentals. We do need to have regulations. We’re late to the game, that’s not going to change, and we need to get on our horse and take care of it.”

Little Compton town councilor Patrick McHugh

I’m tired of people breaking up our driveway, parking on the road, and late at night there’s lights going on and off. Why can’t we control some of this?”

Little Compton resident Peg Bugara

Regulations for short-term rentals, like those used by Airbnb and other similar online outfits, might be coming soon to Little Compton.

From sleek and modern homes in the woods to beach cottages and waterfront guest rooms, there are more than 100 homes across Little Compton advertised for short term rental on the Airbnb website. Though they are popular, some neighbors have complained of excessive noise, traffic, parties, swearing, and other concerns with regards to their safety and well-being.

“My quiet street is like a race car speedway,” Peg Bugara told the Little Compton Town Council last Thursday. “I’m tired of people breaking up our driveway, parking on the road, and late at night there’s lights going on and off. Why can’t we control some of this?”

Bugara, who bought her home 51 years ago, has been asking town officials to look into the regulation of such properties since the Spring, according to a letter she wrote to the town clerk last month seeking an audience before the council. She said the time to regulate them is now, as other local towns, including Newport and Middletown, have recently begun that process. Tiverton, while not regulating them yet, is working on ordinances that would do so.

“This is long overdue, and I don’t know why it hasn’t been looked at publicly before,” councilor Patrick McHugh said. “Obviously, all the towns in our area are doing something for short-term rentals. We do need to have regulations. We’re late to the game, that’s not going to change, and we need to get on our horse and take care of it.”

Town council president Robert Mushen and vice president Gary Mataronas will begin drafting an ordinance in the coming weeks that will likely be reviewed by the rest of the council at its Thursday, Oct. 20 meeting. At that meeting, councilors are expected to discuss the proposed ordinance and whether to forward it to the Little Compton Planning Board for review, or to make changes before doing so.

Short-term rentals have been on the rise in the last few years not just on AirBnB, but also other sites including VRBO. According to data from AirDNA, short-term stays in Little Compton are at an average daily rate of $391.

“Every weekend there’s a new turnaround, a new group of people coming down,” Bugara told the council. “They don’t necessarily have the respect for the road or for the town that we have.”

Presumably, a new short term rental ordinance would fill the gap left by current town ordinances, which regulate hotels, motels and inns as temporary lodging and do not allow them in residential zones. The phrase 'short-term rentals' is not expressed in the current ordinance. Councilors said they will research updating the ordinance to include this verbiage and add regulations to explicitly spell out what is or is not allowed.

“Personally, what I think is the most outrageous is people or companies coming in and buying houses out here and making it an AirBnB, and that needs to stop,” McHugh said. “People talk about the role of character, and it’s certainly not doing anything for the role of character in this town, letting this go on unabated the way it’s been going on for years.”