East Hampton Sees Subpoenas as Powerful Tool Against Airbnb Rental Rules Breakers - 27 East

East Hampton Sees Subpoenas as Powerful Tool Against Airbnb Rental Rules Breakers

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The property at 64 South Elroy Drive in Montauk is just one of several that the town has cited for violating rental rules in recent years. But the way the town went about proving the owner was renting repeatedly for short periods of time, which is against town rules intended to preserve residential neighborhoods, is a novel one: they subpoenaed the records for the property on the booking website Airbnb. If a judge rules that was done properly, it could be a useful new tool in the town's push to rein in illegal renting of homes. 
MICHAEL WRIGHT

The property at 64 South Elroy Drive in Montauk is just one of several that the town has cited for violating rental rules in recent years. But the way the town went about proving the owner was renting repeatedly for short periods of time, which is against town rules intended to preserve residential neighborhoods, is a novel one: they subpoenaed the records for the property on the booking website Airbnb. If a judge rules that was done properly, it could be a useful new tool in the town's push to rein in illegal renting of homes. MICHAEL WRIGHT

authorMichael Wright on Oct 18, 2023
The use of homes in residential neighborhoods for short-term rentals through online booking sites like Airbnb have been vilified by local municipalities as corporate facilitation of illegal activity that is... more

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