Town: Springs Woman Advertised Home as Resort Rental

A Springs homeowner was charged with a total of 26 safety violations after she was found to have illegally converted her garage and artist’s studio into additional living space, East Hampton Town officials said on Friday.

East Hampton Town Director of Ordinance Enforcement Betsy Bambrick and her officers investigated the property at 160 Red Dirt Road, which had been reported as operating as a resort in a residential neighborhood.

Code Enforcement conducted a comprehensive investigation that resulted in 26 counts of violations of Town of East Hampton and State of New York codes, officials said.

Leanna Erdmann, 57, the owner of the single-family residence, was charged with the following safety violations:

• Illegally converting a garage and an artist’s studio into additional living space without the required town permits, inspections and approvals
• Lacking building permits or certificates of occupancy for renovations that had been completed at the location (numerous counts)
• Having open pool gates that were not self-closing and latching
• Lacking required pool alarms
• Lacking a code-compliant pool barrier

During a trip to the home to speak with Erdmann, investigators found her occupying one of the structures that had been illegally converted into a bedroom.

“Investigators in this case relied in part on social media and online advertising to build their case against the owner for the changes-of-use charges,” Bambrick said. “Review of an online rental site, which advertised the location as an East Hampton resort rental, assisted in the case. Pictures, as well as user reviews, were very helpful.”

One of the online sites advertising the “resort” was quickly deleted after the property owner was ticketed, officials said.

Erdmann was issued an appearance ticket and is due in East Hampton Town Justice Court on Sept. 21.

Photo: Google Maps