Photo by Charlie Breitrose Watertown City Hall
City officials recently reinforced that short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO are not allowed in Watertown.
In April 2024, the City Council rejected a proposal that would have allowed short-term rentals on a limited basis, including for under 3 months a year.
“The City’s zoning regulations prohibit the rental of properties for a period of less than 31 days, and those violating this ordinance are subject to fines,” the City’s announcement said.
The announcement was part of the City’s education efforts around short-term rentals, said Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist.
“When the Council passed the ordinance, we worked with our Zoning and Code Enforcement team to develop an enforcement strategy, which includes this step of sending letters to identified properties around Watertown,” Cote said. “These efforts are more proactive in enforcing our ordinances than they are reactive to specific complaints we have received.”
City staff will be reaching out to properties that are operating short-term rentals.
“Our Zoning and Code Enforcement Office is requiring recipients to submit confirmation via email verifying that their listing complies with the requirement of no less than 31 days, or a signed letter stating when the rental was stopped or if no short-term rental was being operated at that address,” the announcement said. “We appreciate the community’s cooperation in upholding local ordinances and encourage all property owners to review the guidelines before listing or operating a short-term rental.
Residents with questions or concerns about short-term rentals can contact the Zoning and Code Enforcement Office by emailing the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Tony Mancini at amancini@watertown-ma.gov or by calling 617-972-6427.
Reminder to sign comments with your full name.
16 Ladd Street has been operating as a short-term rental for more than a year.
You can contact the Zoning and Code Enforcement Office by emailing the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Tony Mancini at amancini@watertown-ma.gov or by calling 617-972-6427
This is strange. When I look at the comments here, before I even started typing this, it says at the top
3 thoughts on “City Reminds Residents That Short-Term Rentals Are Prohibited”
Yet I only see two comments, one from Jack Ferrel and a response from Charlie. That’s two. If this one I’m typing gets approved will the top line say “4 thoughts”?
One comment was not published because the commenter omitted authorship as required.
Hence you don’t see that comment, even thought it counts among the “thoughts”. That’s my take but Charlie may expand on it.
I’m not sure how it calculates that but it might be ones waiting to be approved.
I do not think there should be airbnb “hotels” in Watertown (or any other city for that matter). It reduces the housing stock, dilutes the neighborhood and doesn’t add much value. Housing shouldn’t be bought by an LLC. I DO believe that owners that have a guest room, are trying to age in place and need extra cash to keep their heads above water should BE allowed. All our costs keep increasing except our income these days. If a home owner wants to rent a room, it should be allowed. That was never discussed with actual home owners when this ban went through. Of course install parameters for the owners so that it is not abused. But to take away that supplemental income when the costs of necessary every day goods keeps increasing is completely unfair to that owner. The behavior of some airbnb hotels should not punish the owner-occupied airbnb hosts that are behaving appropriately, promoting everything that is great about Watertown and providing community. There needs to be a larger discussion than just a carte blanche ban.
If you want to rent a room for more than 31 days, that is and was allowed. If you want to rent to students, young professionals, contract workers, older people not fortunate enough to own homes, and so on, you’re welcome to do so.
“Short term” here doesn’t refer to housing someone for 6 weeks or 3 months. If you want to list on AirBNB or VRBO so that you can rent to travelers on holidays and weekends, without following the legal and safety obligations EITHER of a landlord to tenants OR of a hotel to guests, unfortunately, the city council has not authorized you to do this with your property.
Everything is ALSO getting more expensive for renters, and AirBNB and VRBO appear to have made those problems worse in other cities.
However there is a need for short term situations, less than 31 days. Short term excursions to prep and participate in a race or lecture series, graduation and wedding events, trips to scope out an area to move into or help another move, and hospital stays/consulting medical experts all come to mind. The individuals renting a room or floor in these situations would not otherwise rent the same space for a longer term. As a landlord, I recognize this is a different type of supply and demand. As someone who believes one should be able to do whatever one wants with ones property as long as it meet safety and habitual regulations, I think is a reasonable option. One should be able to utilize their asset to generate money, especially if someone not able to obtain employment due to illness or handicap or if one wants to age in place. When we have a plurality of options for suppliers and demanders, we truly integrate everyone because one size does clearly fit all.
I disagree with the ban as a non-absentee long-term landlord, I know that there are renters looking for shorter terms. I think, if regulated, homeowners renting out space short term help to keep the mix of options verifiable as well as contribute to the local economy; one can’t put everything into a luggage bag.
Hard economic times are coming. The impact of the tariffs will hit in 6 months because that is when the pre-fronted inventory will have run out. In mid November 2026, the cuts to federal assistance will go into effect, and inflation has not disappeared.
Our family has raised the rent, cut costs. I have rebalanced my investments and I am trying to increase my income at work. Luckily, our property tax was reduced. If one is employed now, there is a highly likelihood that he or she won’t be next year. If one is retired, then the small income will also be impacted next year. This is one method to keep people in Watertown. Regulate it, don’t ban it.
Let’s get some perspective here. The crime blog has not always been presented in the newspaper in its entirety. Up until a couple of months ago, it was just highlights. If you want to see what crime is in Watertown over a period of time, you will see it has been relatively flat for property crimes and trending down for violent crime. Per online data from the FBI, national police associations and even real estate sites, the opening of the two malls (in 1975 and 1983) are not always the drivers. Crime is high in that neighborhood, but it is also high in Coolidge Sq and on the Waltham-Watertown border. FBI data for Property Crimes since 1986 in Watertown doesn’t correlate with changes in laws such as the 2018 act or 1994 three strikes act. The height of the Oxycontin crime wave in the early 2000s may explain the bump up in 2003 but not necessarily.
As for the mail, there has been an active ongoing defunding of the postal service budget for about a decade now. Criminals know that if there is a lack of resources, then it is an opportune time to hit. However, Amazon package thefts are far more common due to increased deliveries and the ease of reselling items. Personal opinion, I think, the den of thieves in White House, does make people think, why should I pay for that pack of soda or not slap someone when laws that don’t apply across the board. This coupled with lawbreaking during COVID – unleased dogs, ATVs driven on streets and people not leaving stores, private property, when asked probably has lot more to do it. People are pushing the envelope in ways that were not thought of as norm breaking before. Crime, overall, is down in the USA. States with “tougher” laws, judges and sentences like Tennessee, Alaska and Missouri are at the top of the highest crime rate list, and the New England states along with New Jersey and Virginia are at the bottom. It might also have to do with lenient gun laws in those states as well.
Is this for the housing story or another story?
Sorry this is for the reply to the Crime Blog.