This site is offered as a service to East Haven residents seeking tools and resources related to the enforcement of our ongoing short-term rentals problem.
On April 4, 2025, Town Council passed an ordinance regulating short-term rentals. The ordinance went into effect on January 1, 2026. A cornerstone of this ordinance is an application and permit issuance process for residents to rent their Primary Residence on a short-term basis (30 days or less). Primary Residence is defined as living in one's home for at least 183 days a year.
More details regarding the ordinance can be found here.
To date, SAFERR has reviewed 52 STR platform listings on Airbnb, VRBO, Booking and aggregating sites like Cozycozy and Home2go, and we've confirmed addresses and owners for 42 STRs in EH.
Some summary information about East Haven STRs:
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>70% are not owner-occupied
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62% are owned by out-of-town owners
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52% were purchased recently
This is not casual home-sharing — it is a concentrated, investor-driven market
More EH STR summary information can be found here
East Haven Short-Term Rental Map
This map shows known (identified) short-term rental properties in East Haven. Click a marker to view listing details, research links, and identification status. Specific property details are intentionally limited on the public map. All property and owner details are made available to town zoning officials.
How to use this map
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Yellow: address identified
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Red: address not yet identified
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Gray: out of town listing
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Click markers for additional details and research links
As of today, few short-term rental applications have been received - yet numerous short-term rental ads continue to appear on sites like Airbnb & VRBO. No cease and desist letters or fines have been issued - even though these ads are a clear violation of the property use as short-term rentals.
There are many reasons for on-going short-term rental issues, despite the passage of the ordinance:
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Communication regarding the passage of the ordinance has never prominently appeared on the Town web site (i.e., home page / news)
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Passage of the ordinance has not be communicated via Town's social media, nor published in news sources
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Notifications were not made to short-term rental owners after the ordinance was passed in April, 2025
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Third-party services with specialized tools to aid in identification and compliance of STRs were not consulted in an effort to identify STR properties and owners - despite service offerings and cost estimates being provided to the town in advance of the ordinance passage
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The town is relying on residents acting as whistleblowers to help identify and expose illegal STRs. This resident reporting form ("Complaint Form") represents a 100% reactive process for reporting nuisance disturbances, without provisions to proactively stop STR owners who are violating the ordinance
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This reporting form requires resident-enforcers to provide personally identifying information which can be intimidating to neighbors. The Complaint Form link on the Town’s website states that oral / anonymous complaints will not be processed and that no status updates will be provided. As a result, there are too many paths to "no action" for offenders
So what resources and tools are available on this web site, to hopefully restore the character of our once residential neighborhoods?
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A link to the ordinance and summary of its key points can be found here
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Information regarding typical, cost-effective third party resources aimed at achieving STR compliance is here
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Our listing of STRs that are still advertising on STR platforms can can be found here
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If you know of STR properties that may be operating illegally, you may (after registering on this web site) submit a complaint regarding potential violations of the ordinance. Our staff will verify this information and submit, on your behalf.
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Looking for answers on what & how to document potential ordinance violations in your neighborhood? Check here.