Dear Editor:

My home, Boothbay Harbor, is a great place, but it faces a serious housing shortage. Boothbay Harbor has 947 housing units and has a 37% vacancy rate (25% higher than the Lincoln County rate); homes being used for seasonal rentals severely limit housing for year-round working residents (https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2306085-boothbay-harbor-me/).

This has made it hard for families to afford to live here, including my family and me. Before I moved to this beautiful town, it took months to find the right place. Since then, I have moved from house to house a whopping four times until we purchased a home. This was an extremely grueling challenge, as many homes are used as short-term rentals, driving up costs, and as a result, local businesses in town struggle to find workers and buyers. This harms the Boothbay Harbor economy and drives housing prices higher due to a lack of available homes.

I understand people are allowed to make their own choices regarding renting out the homes they own, but this issue is quite serious. If people ignore it, this town could be a destination for the rich and tourists only, not families and workers. This issue is difficult to fix because of zoning laws and property rights. However, other towns like Bar Harbor and Portland have taken steps to limit short-term rentals (https://legislature.maine.gov/doc/8864).

Boothbay Harbor’s average rent is approximately $2,300 per month, according to Zillow Rental Market Trends data. Short-term rentals average $319 per day—about $9,570 a month, more than four times as much. That math is hard to ignore, and it is driving homes out of the year-round market. 

Without action, Boothbay Harbor will lose the people who keep it running: workers, families, and small business owners. Schools, services, and the local economy depend on them. What is at risk is not just housing, but the community itself.

David Frazel

BRHS rising senior

Boothbay Harbor