People who operate short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, in Bangor have until the end of the month to apply for a license for the properties to avoid violating new city rules.
Bangor has already received roughly 30 applications for short-term rental licenses after opening an online portal last Friday through which property owners can apply for or renew permits, according to Anja Collette, Bangor’s planning officer.
In October 2023, the Bangor City Council adopted rules to ensure short-term rentals don’t overwhelm the city’s already tight housing market. They include requiring owners to have their units inspected regularly and pay an annual fee for the license. The rules also cap the number of short-term rental units allowed in the city.
At the time, Airbnbs weren’t allowed in Bangor, but the city knew of roughly 136 that were operating illegally.
The rules require every rental unit to be inspected by city staff before a license is issued, then inspected again every three years. Licenses have an initial cost of $250 and expire after one year. Annual license renewals cost $100.
If a unit fails inspection, the operator can address the deficiencies and may be allowed another inspection. Each additional inspection will cost $100.
The city’s rules define “short term rental” as renting up to two bedrooms in a home or apartment, or an entire home or apartment for less than 30 days. Hotels, motels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, boarding houses and housing for temporary workers are exempt from the rules.
The rules also differentiate between hosted and non-hosted rentals.
Hosted rentals are those in which the owner or operator lives at the property. Non-hosted rentals could include an entire apartment or house that’s available for rent, but the owner does not live there. Bangor can’t have more than 153 non-hosted rentals, which is 1 percent of the city’s housing stock.
The new rules also state a single person or company cannot have more than five Airbnbs.
The city will hold two information sessions next week about how short-term rentals will be inspected. The forums will be held at noon on May 14 and 6 p.m. on May 16 at Bangor City Hall or on Zoom.
