Rental board denies Lindenhurst permit after neighbors report parties, owner admits Airbnb listings
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Summary
The Town of Babylon Rental Board denied a rental permit for a Lindenhurst property after neighbors testified the house was repeatedly rented short-term and generated traffic and parties; the owner said they listed the house on Airbnb but were unaware short-term rentals were prohibited and pledged to stop.
The Town of Babylon Rental Board on Monday denied a rental permit for 1 Sand Lane in Lindenhurst after neighbors told the board the house had been operated as a short-term rental and the applicant had outstanding violations.
The applicant, who identified himself as Shore of Tanaja, and a family member, Rajesh Taneja, told the board they had listed the property on Airbnb beginning in June after buying it as an investment. "When I purchased this as an investment ... we started Airbnb the 1st month of June," the applicant said, and added that once they understood the town code they would stop accepting new guests.
Neighbors described repeated short-term stays, parties and added traffic. Ronald Bellona said the rental "was going on for almost a year now" and has "increased car traffic to the area," while Jason Cohen said the house "gets loud" and has had unfamiliar cars and parties that concern families in the dead-end neighborhood. "It's not benefiting the neighborhood at all," Bellona said.
Board members noted the property had active violations and that the applicant had received fines and a pending court date. After discussing enforcement and the record of violations, a board member moved to deny the permit "because of the violations," and the board voted in favor of denial. The board told the applicants they must clear outstanding violations and may reapply after they are remedied and re-inspected.
The board also cited Town of Babylon code provisions limiting short-term rentals; a member referenced Section 281 of the Babylon Town Code regarding permits issued under the chapter. The applicant said he would remove any Airbnb listings and asked for guidance on how to reapply for a long-term rental permit once violations are cleared.
The board closed the hearing on the application after the vote and indicated inspectors would re-inspect if the owners cleared violations and reapplied.
