Airbnb In Bed-Stuy Brownstone Fined $5,000: City

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A woman who ran an Airbnb out of a Bed-Stuy brownstone was fined $5,000 — five charges at a $1,000 fine each — by the city this week according to a new law passed in October. The new law says it's illegal for someone to rent out a room in their apartment for less than 30 days if the host is not also there at the time of the rental.

Tatiana Cames, a real estate broker with Corcoran, was served with one charge per Airbnb listing she posted for 320 Macon St., which she bought in 2015 for $2.15 million, city records show. The building was found to have inadequate fire alarm and sprinklers, illegal transient use, occupancy contrary to the Certificate of Occupancy, construction work on additional units without a permit and an inadequate exit in one of the apartments, according to what the City Law Department called "procured documents." Additionally, the two top floors were split in half, so the front apartments had no fire escape, according to the City Law Department.

For the latest updates on the Airbnb law and other Bed-Stuy news, subscribe to the Bed-Stuy Patch for email newsletters and news alerts on your phone.

Inspectors found three French tourists in a third-floor apartment building when they were on the scene, the department reported.

An ongoing investigation by the department also found three listings at another two-family house in Clinton Hill that Cames owns, at 103 St. James Pl. At least one listing in 103 St. James Pl. was still up on Airbnb on Monday evening.

"Last week marked the start of our enforcement efforts against bad actors under the new State law that bars advertising of illegal short-term rentals. We will continue to use this law, and other enforcement tools, to protect New Yorkers and visitors alike," Melissa Grace, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement.

A request for comment from Cames was not immediately returned.

The Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement (MOSE) also issued 12 violations to the owner of the Upper West Side's Marrakesh Hotel, Hank Fried, for advertising illegally on the hotel's website, Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak and other sites. The Department of Buildings also found building code violations in the hotel, for which it is issuing violations this week, the City Law Department said.

Came and Fried each have appearance dates in front of the city's Environmental Control Board, and if their listings are still up and active on their appearance dates, MOSE has threatened to issue second offense violations, which are $5,000 a piece.

Lead photo of 320 Macon St. via Google Maps