Musical selection from Avenue Q.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
If you rent out an apartment or a house in Ocean Grove, you are engaging in a business. And if your property is marked R (residential) on the zoning map, then what you are doing may not be legal. But have no fear, because Neptune Township allows you to do it, and it has been done for many years in this beach town.
Just get a Mercantile (business) license once per year. and have a CO inspection done whenever you have a new tenant. Such rentals in the Grove are not unusual, and it is not uncommon for vacationers to rent a place for a week or two. If you rent for over 30 days, then a lease would be needed. And note that you cannot rent out just a room unless you are a hotel with business zoning.
But what about those Airbnb people who are renting out houses and apartments on the Internet for short term use, down to one night. Currently there are 105 properties for rent on Airbnb in OG. Apartments rent from about $100 to $300 on average per night. Houses will be more. Some owners offer Airbnb rentals in more than one home in the Grove and sometimes in more than one town. This can be a significant money maker for some.
We have heard from Grovers who have been complaining about Airbnb renters who are not gracious visitors and who change the entire complexion of a neighborhood.
But at the last Township Committee meeting (June 11) another side has been heard from. Committeemen Carol Rizzo reported that she had met with an Airbnb businessman who owns a number of buildings for purposes of short term rentals, and some of those are in Ocean Grove. She said that he complained to her about all the red tape that he must endure whenever he has a new renter.
We are not sure why she brought this up officially, at his request; ie where does she stand on this issue? He also got to present his problem during the public portion. He had 5 minutes, and he said that the Neptune rules are too restrictive and complicated for his business; No one spoke up in response, one way or another.
The Mayor did not commit to placing this complaint on a forthcoming agenda, so we don’t know where he stands either.
Consider this:
a. Usually if a person is interested in a zoning ordinance change, the matter is referred to the Planning Board.
b. One of Ocean Grove’s most important citizens, David Shotwell, Sr., the former long-term COO of the CMA said this yesterday in a comment to Blogfinger regarding our article on the subject: “A helpful discussion of the short term housing situation. Much to be done to manage the situation.” I consider his interest in this topic to be a beacon that we all should pay attention and that active legislation may be needed on behalf of the citizens.
c. We can’t speak for Mr. Shotwell’s motives, but some of our readers are already alerted to a possible threat to our way of life in the Grove. As it is, there are other concerns as well regarding the quality of life in Ocean Grove such as gridlock. We have written plenty on that topic.
d. Any attempt by any citizen group or government entity to increase the crowding of Ocean Grove should be resisted by those who live here. Short term rentals will undoubtedly increase crowding of the Grove.
e. The Home Groaners are having a meeting next Saturday about the Neptune Police Department. How many of you think that we in OG have serious problems with our police? Shouldn’t the Groaners be addressing this topic—Airbnb. Where do they stand? They are all too often on the wrong side of issues that affect our lifestyles here.
f. From Airbnb: “What started as a simple platform to offer mattresses and home-made breakfast has today revolutionized the way people travel. Airbnb business model is unique, profitable, and has evolved to such a level that the brand is now the world’s most loved hospitality brand.” Each of the 3 founders now has personal wealth of $1 billion.
If you read their sales pitch, you will see that they want to invade small popular communities such as ours, and as they tout the profits to be made, they offer no interest in the towns themselves. And thus we will see more business opportunists coming into town to buy houses just for short term rentals profits, but with no concern for the Grove itself. This exploitation bodes ill for our historic district and its Master Plan.
Only Neptune Township can find ways to protect our lifestyles in this town, as did our neighbor Ocean Township. For a change Neptune should worry about us and act preemptively.
And meanwhile, is Neptune effectively enforcing the existing rules?
THE GRASCALS: “Stay All Night.”
Jack: It’s not wishful thinking. I’m going to make it happen and you can’t stop it. I’m sick of the hypocrisy of this town. It’s not owned by a small group of centurions. Consider what the other post mentioned about memories.
I think this town needs to be more capitalistic in its thinking. The more Airbnb’s we have, the more home values go up.
Everyone stop complaining and start living in the present!
Joe,
The purpose of land use law is to prevent harm to the community.
As long as we have NJ State “Municipal Land Use Law,” we are all required to obey those laws, and no property owner in NJ is “free to do what they wish with their land.”
That’s just wishful thinking.
My family summers in Lake George every year. If we did not have the ability to rent a house from another family for week long chunks, i would have much fewer summer memories.
I fall firmly in the camp that people should be free to do what they wish with their land. If I want to rent my couch out for a couple nights I should be free to do so. If my renter leave trash out (an ordinance violation) makes a ruckus (ordinance violation) damages something (civil and possible criminal violation) then I as the lessee should be responsible for those violations
Blogfinger – Your comments are true. It hurts to see our magical historic village as you call it, wither away.
OG Lady: I have been observing a steady increase in popularity for Ocean Grove for at least the last ten years. Some of the ingredients include more young families, more tourists who have discovered the Grove and its attributes, a recognition that this town is more than a religious destination, more teenagers and kids, more cars and the proximity to Asbury Park.
I’m not sure that “advertising” has anything to do with it, except perhaps for the heavy-duty publicity machine promoting Asbury Park to the point of lying about what they are, so secondarily the Asbury crowd finds us as a place to park their cars and their bodies—-ie short stay Airbnb.
Meanwhile the residents of Ocean Grove look on with dismay as their magical historic village gets smothered by a variety of forces including those from within which would exploit the real estate situation including the willingness of Neptune Township to promote more tax paying condos (without parking) and the citizens be damned.
The disrespect for our town that we have observed is sad. Yelling down the street, emptying cars of beachgoing items onto the sidewalks, walking in the middle of Ocean Avenue & Main Avenue instead of using sidewalks (a New York thing?), large groups/mobs coming home late from AP bars at 2:00 am with no regard for quiet, and the attitude of “entitlement” about parking.
Things have changed a ton; and not for the good. They need to stop advertising Ocean Grove!
The problem is Ocean Grove has become a mecca for real estate speculators who never live in the homes they buy, but use them as daily or weekend AIR BNB type rentals. The desire to make these houses into a steady income has driven up real estate prices and subsequently property taxes and forced many people who called Ocean Grove their only home to move out. The fabric of the town has changed and in my opinion, not in a good way.
Susan: Airbnb is a business use of real estate.
What you describe is not a business use, but is rather a use that is incidental to a residential use, that is now and has always been permitted in OG.
What’s the difference?.
Your residential rental model promotes “spiritual growth.”
Airbnb is a business model that promotes maximum real estate profit
with little regard to the neighborhood.
Susan. You are correct about summer rentals up and down the shore. I used to take my family to Long Beach Island for two weeks every summer, and we rented private homes near the beach.
This tradition which allowed rentals of one week or more in private homes has been part of the summer lifestyle in Ocean Grove.
But, technically, as Jack points out, unless a zoning usage is officially legal in a residential zone, then it should be considered illegal. So let’s put that aside for the moment.
Rooms for rent by the night here mostly went out with the disappearance of rooming houses throughout the town. I don’t know if there has been any precedent in recent times for renting by the night in private residences. Hotels and inns could do that in the commercial zones.
Then along comes Airbnb muscling its clients into our residential zones for nightly stays. This is new and is growing. It is causing consternation among some residents, and there is reason to believe that it is bad news for the town in a variety of ways.
Private homes renting by the night is a different kettle of fish than what we have had in the past, and Airbnb has brought that issue to the surface. What is that about “sleeping dogs?”
However Sue, it’s hard to imagine that the usual historic rental habits would be abolished by the Township unless there is some sort of test case in court.
So now we wait for the debate—what will the Township do?
My sister and I bought a house in OG 2 years ago. We have loved the town for years and vacationed with our husbands and 4 children and were reminiscing about our childhood vacations down the shore.
We decided to find a house that we could buy and rent out part of the year so that we could have a place to go with our families part of the summer with the hopes of reaching a point where we no longer have to rent in order to afford it.
We rent our house out several summer weeks as it provides the greatest opportunity to recover expenses. We are very fussy about our tenants. We post strict rules for those who rent our house. If we couldn’t rent, we might lose our dream of spending our summer at the beach. There must be many others like us. We never rent nightly. But, weekly rentals have been a Jersey Shore tradition since before we were even born.
I would hate to think Ocean Grove would try to stop families from taking their vacation weeks as we did. We have been to many places, but we always remember the years we packed into the car-mom, dad, 3 girls and grandparents as the best vacations we ever had.
Let’s find a compromise to make everyone happy. Let’s not lose the traditions are so much a Jersey experience. It’s who we are.
Lisa, good question for the Township Committee.
Also, who is in charge of managing the process?
Are they maintaining a list of all Airbnbs and have they been enforcing their own rules?
We live on Wesley Lake, west of the footbridge to the beer garden.
There is a house on the lake that has been renting as an Airbnb for the past few years. It is booked up solid every summer. It ruins the neighborhood.
Neptune officials must be aware of this Airbnb because of advertising. So how is it permitted if not in the commercial area?
Currently the Township can permit airbnbs within the first two Commercial blocks of OG, but not in the residential zoning districts.
A check of the zoning schedual will show that airbnbs are not a permitted use in a residential zone.
If a Use is not specifically listed as a permitted use, then the Use is prohibited, and a ‘Mercantile License ‘ DOES NOT change the zoning.
Can the Township change the Zoning to permit airbnbs throughout OG?
Yes. The first step is to hold Public Hearings to see if the Public supports the idea. If the Public does, the matter is sent to the Planning Board to amend the Master Plan by resolution after more public hearings.
The Governing body after holding another public hearing may change by ordinance the residential zones to Commercial Zones that would permit airbnbs.
The last step in the process would be for the Township to donate our State and National Historic Designation to the OG Historical Society, because OG would no longer be a Historic District.
Ocean Grove is my hometown and I can tell you, with the exception of hotels, there were very few short-term rentals. Yes people owned summer homes. But they actually lived in them.
That is NOT what I am seeing in my neighborhood now.
Surfer: When I moved here full time in 2001, there were plenty of people who bought “investment houses” that were to be used for rentals. In fact, I think there may have been more rentals available then than there are now. Actually, I get the idea that there may be a shortage of good rentals here. Demand has gone up as have the costs.
But you are right about the destructive effect of very short term rentals—a different species than regular old rentals where people view the town as their home.
The Neptune Township Committee have shown time and time again that they do not care about the residents of Ocean Grove. This town is simply their ATM.
They want to have more Airbnb rentals in OG, but they want a piece of the action —- tax them like hotel rooms.
OG will always have some hotels, inns, b and b’s, but the prospect of Airbnbs all over town is disastrous. Some greedy people bought houses in OG with no intention of living here. They rent them out as yearly rentals, summer rentals, or short term airbnb rentals while they live elsewhere, making money and watching their house at the shore increase in value.
I say stop the AIRBNB. OG is quickly becoming the Belmar of old. Absentee landlords with bags of garbage put out on the street for pickup that may not occur for 6 days on a holiday weekend, raucous parties that go well into the morning, and tenants that change like socks are disrupting what once was a quiet community. Other towns such as Ocean are banning such arrangements.
Isn’t short–term rental (Airbnb) same as booking a hotel room?
If so, owner complies to all regs//laws/codes (whatever) of hotels.
Rental requirements of mercantile license– regs/laws/codes (whatever)– are in place: annual fee, rental frequency inspection.
Owner has a choice. (Stop complaining.).
Ocean Grove does not have a choice..
What Township Committee member would have the guts to even suggest a study of potential limiting measures to protect its cash ($$$$$) cow ?
. .