Locals Against Proposed East Hampton Rental Registry Law Create Website

Anonymous opponents of the rental registry law that was proposed for the Town of East Hampton recently created a website to ask residents to vote against the law.

The website, StoptheRentalRegistry.com, writes that the law will “hurt local property owners, local businesses and our local economy on the East End of Long Island.”

The Town brought up the idea of a rental registry law over the summer, when the board began working on proposing laws that will help solve the problems in Montauk that were expressed by angry local residents, including complaints of overcrowding.

The hamlet had received a reputation of a “party town” and locals got fed up after the “crazy” Fourth of July weekend.

Last month, Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell, said that the law is still under draft form and still has to undergo review.

Currently, there is no law on the subject, so the board is hoping implement a rule to require homeowners to register all rentals with the Town by next summer in order to better enforce and prevent over occupation, according to Cantwell.

Cantwell says that there is probably a “couple 1,000” homeowners who rent their homes to visitors, especially over the summer.

In July, a local resident started a petition on change.org to create a rental registry which received 348 signatures.

The website links to a second petition on Change.org, STOP the Rental Registry Law in East Hampton, which as of Friday has received 31 signatures.

According to the website, East Hampton visitors who rent a home for their vacation may face fines upwards of $15,000.

“It is widely recognized that a Rental Registry Law will not achieve its legislative intent of addressing overcrowded year-round rentals and unruly seasonal share houses,” the website reads. “The Rental Registry Law is misguided in what it can achieve, while providing code enforcement with an end-run around the U.S. Constitution and the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unwarranted searches.”

However, Cantwell previously said that “the purpose of the rental registry is not to stop rentals, people have been renting in East Hampton for years.”

Seven out of the 10 towns in Suffolk County have already implemented a rental registry, including Southampton Town.

There will be a public hearing regarding the law on Thursday November 19 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on 15 Montauk Highway.

Photo: screenshot/stoptherentalregistry.com