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Demand builds for Y2K shore rentals

Tuesday, December 7, 1999

The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY -- The year 2000 is heating up demand for the normally cold off-season rental business at the New Jersey shore.

Owners of coastal cottages and condominiums are charging between $500 and $1,500 per night during New Year's weekend, and real estate agents said virtually all of the available lodgings already are booked.

People have even inquired about renting houseboats for the weekend, which falls during the second week of winter.

"I've never seen anything like this and I've been here for 18 years," Carole Britt, a sales representative for Lackey Realty on Long Beach Island, said in a published report.

Agencies began receiving rental requests as long as two years ago.

Some callers have said they're afraid to join large public celebrations because of the possibility of Y2K-related breakdowns and violence. Instead, they'll host small house parties for their families and friends.

The rental properties are not easy to come by. Landlords typically do not offer their units during the winter, because demand is usually low. Even with the obvious demand this season, owners have been reluctant to make their properties available for New Year's, agents said.

Only one client with the Richards Agency in Ocean City offered a rental for the night of Dec. 31. The realty office received more than 100 requests for that unit, said agent Joan Adams.

Lackey Realty had only eight properties available.

Copyright ) 1999 Bergen Record Corp.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 07, 1999