Asbury Park and Neptune have suspended short term rentals, including AirBNB, hotels and motels, in an effort to keep residents and visitors safe during the pandemic.
Asbury Park has suspended the rentals until at least the end of April and Neptune has suspended its rentals until at least April 27 when the Township Committee will meet to discuss a possible extension of the suspension.
Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said the City Council is reevaluating the move every two weeks and will reopen the rentals as soon as doing so is deemed safe for city residents.
Quinn said the council instituted the suspension to prevent people wanting to get out of areas with a high incidence of COVID-19 and head to the Jersey Shore.
“There are people who are trying to get out of wherever they live….but we are concerned about the residents and keeping them safe. People want to come and stay in Asbury Park for a couple of weeks,” she said.
She said hotel owners, acting responsibly, agreed to close their hotels for the month of April.
Quinn said residents who have second or vacation homes in Asbury Park are not included in the suspension, but she said they should heed Governor Phil Murphy’s call to refrain from traveling to the shore to wait out the virus.
In his March 21 statement the governor said the shore towns do not have the infrastructure to handle a large influx of people during the winter months.
“We don’t want to see them put their neighbors at risk,” Quinn said.
A release from the city stated, “All realtors and property owners are required to immediately stop short-term/vacation rentals (such as those advertised through services including AirBNB, VRBO and HomeAway) whether done online, or in-person.”
“We are doing everything in our power to protect our community and this is not a decision we take lightly,” Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said.
