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In the Village of Patchogue, a puddle in your driveway can
cost you $1,000.00!
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In Patchogue, Village officials have recently increased
all fines to a maximum of $1,000. A property-owner there
was given a violation, carrying a possible fine of
$1,000, for “water in the driveway of dwelling with no
means of drainage.” Missing shingles, peeling paint,
missing window screens – under Patchogue Village’s
Housing Code, these violations all carry fines up to
$1000 each as well. This has resulted in people
losing their properties & homes to foreclosure,
bankruptcy and tax liens. |
In the
Town of Huntington, under their Habitat Nuisance Law,
landlords can be fined for the criminal offenses of their
tenants!
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The Town of Huntington “Habitat Nuisance
Law”, patterned after a Town of Babylon law, calls for
penalties of a $500 fine for the first offense and a
$1,000 fine for each additional offense within one
year. An arrest for certain violations at a property
will mean that the property constitutes a “habitat
nuisance”, and the landlord can then be fined for the
offenses of their tenants at that property. |
In the
Village of Patchogue, your house could be searched if village
officials think you have too many cars parked on your property!
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A law was passed by the Patchogue village board in April
of 1995 limiting residential parking to one car per
bedroom. As reported in the Long Island Advance, when
Village Attorney Ernest Mahler was asked how the village
would determine the number of bedrooms in a home, he
stated that if necessary search warrants would be
issued to determine the number of bedrooms in a home.
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In the
Town of North Hempstead it is illegal to rent a property
without a permit, and you must submit to an inspection of the
property to obtain the necessary permit! Many other towns and
villages also have enacted “rental registration” legislation
requiring the same thing too.
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Under Article VI, pertaining to “Rental Dwelling
Units,” the Town of North Hempstead requires all
landlords to register their properties, paying a fee and
submitting to an inspection. Under the guise of seeking
to “monitor hazardous rental units” for “health, safety,
and welfare” the Town wants the right to come into
rental properties and inspect them before issuing a
permit. Fines for building and housing violations have
been increased significantly – as much as $5,000 -
$10,000 for each and every conviction. Also, the
Town Board has reduced the maximum number of unrelated
occupants allowed in rental properties, based on the
size of the rental unit. Patchogue village recently
enacted its own “rental registration” legislation
requiring landlords to pay a fee, submit a list of
tenants’ names, and have an inspection done of the
property. If village officials conduct the inspection
they can write a summons for any violation that they
observe, violations which can cost up to $1000 each.
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In
Riverhead, you could lose your home because of trash!
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Officials in the Town of Riverhead unanimously passed a
“nuisance abatement” law that enables the town to seize
any property where they believe “inappropriate” activity
is taking place. As said by Riverhead Supervisor James
Start, “we’re zeroing in on landlords, homeowners, etc.”
As reported in Suffolk Life, the “criminal” activities
they are seeking to deter could range from drug
trafficking to an ongoing rubbish problem. |
You can
be fined $100 for decorating YOUR lawn with a sign if you
don’t have a permit for it!
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According to Article I, Section 72-5 (D) of the Valley Stream
Village Code, “No portable or temporary signs” can be
put “on the front or face of … any premises…” with out
purchasing a 90 day permit from the town. If you are
found without a permit for your sign on your own
property you can be fined up to $100, violating the
permit will cost you $250 and up to 15 days in jail! |
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