Occupancy limits

She and her husband paid $1.2M for a three-bedroom oceanfront condo, then learned prior owners had enclosed walls without permits 20 years ago; the city limited them to a two-bedroom license, costing them roughly $400K in value and half their rental income.

He bought a one-bedroom unit advertised as sleeping four, renovated it, then was told occupancy is three — while identical units in the building are listed for four.

A local homeowner who built to five-bedroom parking standards expressed sympathy for affected owners and confidence in the new council members.

He questioned why hotels get four occupants in 140-250 square feet with one parking space while condos face stricter standards, calling for across-the-board consistency.

A realtor with a 730-square-foot pyramid one-bedroom listed for six said the new rules would cut it to three, and urged common sense, noting owners rely on rental income for rising costs.

A 40-year local said occupancy rules worked fine for 50 years, urged the town to stop dictating furniture choices, and said the council should focus on population decline and tourism instead.

A realtor and owner said only her short-term rental of five license applications was selected for inspection, and her four-bedroom oceanfront townhome may be reclassified as three-bedroom due to square footage and parking.

A rental agent said three-person caps on one-bedroom units are deterring family bookings and causing cancellations; she asked for an increase.

A condo-hotel manager and Rental Alliance member said rentals are declining steeply and urged the council to pause and reverse the new occupancy requirements.

A resident urged the council to table the plan, go back and figure out what will actually work for the people of Ocean City.

He asked whether property taxes drop when a three-bedroom becomes a two-bedroom, whether realtors face liability, and requested the safety data justifying the rules be published.

A rental office manager said his sales projections based on rental history are now worthless, leaving new owners misled, and urged the council to slow down and find consistency.