There is a piece in the Southampton Press this week about the Southampton Town Code Enforcement crackdown on rental houses in Noyac. The owners were fined $20,000 which is being used to fund future enforcement. We are happy to see more emphasis on safety, as well as quality-of-life for taxpayers. When we think about problems with rental houses we generally think about noisy share houses with 20 cars on the lawn.  From Southampton east, that problem has diminished considerably over the years, not because of stricter Code Enforcement efforts, but because real estate has gotten so damn expensive. Although there are fewer share houses to terrorize us, there are a wide range of truly crazy and illegal rental scenarios that pose significant disturbance to tax-paying neighbors.  So many of these properties are advertised on line and through emails, it's hard to imagine why they would be hard to track down. But, look at the freely advertised 'Bridgehampton Barn' colony.

Here's the worst scenario we have seen all summer. Last weekend, friends with small children rented a house for the 4-day holiday weekend from Craig's List. Through photos, they rented a new on-the-market house in Sagaponack North from a builder. They arrived to find no railing on the tall entry steps, uncapped dangling wires in place of electrical fixtures and best of all, no pool fence or even fencing around the property. Clearly, the owner was renting the property without even having a Certificate of Occupancy. It amazes us that someone would take this risk. 

Thankfully the summer rental season is wrapping up, but if you are having problems here's who to call:
Southampton Town Code Enforcement 728-1088 or on weekends they are reachable through the police, call the duty officer at 728-5000.
East Hampton Town Ordinance Enforcement 324-3858