By:Nick Buglione
Hempstead officials, who came to the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations' Feb. 24 meeting to hear their concerns and talk about what they're doing to eradicate illegal rentals, said they're fighting an uphill battle.
"This is a problem that occurs throughout the Town of Hempstead and throughout Nassau County and throughout Long Island," Town Councilman Gary Hudes (R-Levittown) said. "The problems with illegal apartments in the Town of Hempstead are quite numerous."
Those who have lived in the community for years say they've noticed a marked increase in illegal rentals, including homeowners who fix up rooms to rent out for extra income and absentee landlords who buy houses and parcel them out to as many as four families at times.
One resident at the meeting estimated that 60 percent of the houses on his block were being illegally rented.
"Parking is one problem," said John Carbone, a lifelong East Meadow resident, of how illegal rentals have crowded the neighborhood's once open streets with cars. "A lot of times, the tenants don't take as good care of the residence as a homeowner would."
Illegal rentals also place a burden on taxpayers, residents said. Though they may be sending children to local schools, illegal renters don't pay East Meadow School District taxes. "There's no question it puts a financial burden on the community," said Charles Goldberg, school board president. "Any time you have a child in need of services, there's an associated financial burden."
He also noted, however, that school officials can do little to combat the problem, since they're required by law to educate all children, whether they live in legal or illegal housing. "As long as someone sleeps in the district," Goldberg said, "we have to educate them."
It's unclear just how many illegal rentals exist in East Meadow or in the entire town, though the town prosecutes anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 violations a year, said Raymond Schwarz, assistant supervisor of inspection services with the town Building Department. "It's not as easy as you think for us to act and effect change on illegal apartments," Schwarz said.
Lenient judges don't help by going easy on violators, and repeat offenders know the loopholes that can get them out of trouble, he said. "We also get some of these houses that are yo-yos," Schwarz said. Those are owners, usually profiteering landlords, who remove all appliances to get a house back under code after being caught, then put them back after the inspection. "When they do that the whole process [to prosecute] them has to start again," Schwarz said, and it's often a lengthy process.
Giving inspectors broader authority to investigate violators and enforce penalties, the town recently revised its code so the Building Department can issue notices of violation based on outside signs that might indicate the presence of illegal renters.
The town has also stiffened the fines associated with illegal renting: $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for the second and $1,500 for the third.
"There are helpful tools that we have now," Schwarz said. "In the old days we could not write a ticket short of getting into the home."
Once inside a home, inspectors look for the tell-tale signs of illegal rentals, such as a second kitchen or key-locked doors that block off an area of a house.
Not all rentals in houses are illegal, Schwarz stressed. The town does allow senior rentals and what are known as mother-daughter apartments, for homeowners' relatives.
"I'm civicly responsible, I'm involved, I keep up my property," said Gail Widro, a Salisbury resident who legally rents her house. "Not all renting is bad."
Even if people with several different last names live under one roof, it doesn't necessarily constitute an illegal rental, Schwarz explained. As long as there's only one kitchen and everyone living there has free access to the entire home, it's legal.
Schwarz urged residents to report illegal rentals and be as specific as possible. "Illegal rentals are not as reported in this town as in other towns," Schwarz said. "But we work on a complaint basis. You really have to be the eyes and ears of the community."
To report illegal rentals, call Gary Hudes' office or the Hempstead Town Building Department at (516) 489-5000. Callers may remain anonymous.
