Montauk Short Term Rental Landlords Busted by Town

Photo: 20 Foxboro Road in Montauk from Zillow listing

The Town of East Hampton has cracked down on two Montauk homeowners who have been advertising their properties as short-term rentals online at sites like Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and even Craigslist, in violation of the town code relating to excessive turnover.

The Town of East Hampton prohibits rentals of less than two weeks more than twice every six months.

In a press release issued by the Town of East Hampton Ordinance Enforcement Department, it was announced that Louis Scagnelli, the owner of 20 Foxboro Road and John Templeman, the owner of 5 South Federal Street, have been charged with violating the town code.

Scagnelli was charged with six counts of excessive turnover for renting his house to a rotating cast of tenants over successive weekends. The property has generated numerous complaints from neighbors about disruptive noise, excessive noise and constant tenant turnover.

Templeman was charged with several code violations for excessive turnover and pumping pool water into the street. His property is also under ongoing investigation for additional violations such as change of use within the house and converting rooms to bedrooms, exceeding the Suffolk County Department of Health Services regulations.

The Code Enforcement investigation was conducted over the past two months. Both properties, 20 Foxboro Road and 5 South Federal Street, were reported to the Town’s new online complaint form, which is accessible on the Ordinance Enforcement page of the Town’s website, www.ehamptonny.gov.

“Excessive turnover has been the focus of many of our online complaints and is being vigorously investigated to provide for the quality of life expected in our town,” said Town Director of Public Safety David Betts.