CHESTERTOWN, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A southern Adirondack community with many short-term rental properties to its name is looking for community input on the rental homes among its houses. This week, the Town of Chester, containing the hamlet of Chestertown, has put out a call for public input on whether rental properties need to be regulated.

A new survey gives residents and visitors the chance to sound off on how they see the situation regarding rental properties. The survey asks applicants to clarify whether they themselves operate short-term rentals, and whether they think such properties should be regulated, including a requirement to confirm New York State Building Code compliance. Multiple options are available for the airing of concerns regarding rentals.

Short-term rental dwelling units are defined as a space that may be inhabited by a given occupant or set of occupants for a period of less than thirty days at a time. Homes rented out on Airbnb and VRBO fit the classification, as do hotels and motels.

The hamlet of Chestertown has a population of 677 as of 2010, part of a 3,614-person community in the surrounding town, which neighbors Pottersville, North Creek and North River. A cursory search for Chestertown on Airbnb shows over 50 results for rental home in the hamlet, among over 1,000 in the surrounding section of the Adirondack Park.

All survey results will be collected anonymously by the town of Chester, with no requirement for street addresses or personal information. The survey will be closed at the end of May, and the results shared with the community at a public hearing on May 30.