Civic Association Calls for Stiffer Penalties for Rooming House Landlords

The Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook wants heftier fines for unscrupulous landlords who are turning single-family homes into illegal rooming houses for university students, and has asked the town to release the names and addresses of those homes cited for such violations within the past year.

Residents in Three Village have long complained about these houses to the Civic Association and to the Town of Brookhaven, saying the situation often turns an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood into a noisy, chaotic one.

In a letter to Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine dated Jan. 24, the Civic Association said it had reviewed the current structure of fines and penalties for housing code violations, and found them to be too low.

According to the town code, for example, a landlord convicted of violating accessory apartment regulations for the first time would pay a $2,500 fine; someone convicted of a noise violation would pay anywhere between $25 for a first offense to $250 for a repeat offense.

"Our views are shaped by the negative impact these rooming houses have on adjacent homeowners’ property values and their quality of life," the Civic Association said in its letter.

The organization also called for the release of the street addresses and names of property owners who have been cited for housing code violations along these lines. "We are interested in 'mapping' the illegal housing issue in our community to better respond to residents' complaints," the Civic Association wrote.

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In an interview with Patch on Thursday, Romaine said he had not yet received the Civic Association's letter but said he would be willing to explore increasing penalties for landlords cited for housing code violations.

"We’ll sponsor the resolution, but all I would request is they would meet with me and the town attorney so we could go over the numbers that they think are appropriate," Romaine said.

Regarding the release of information on which homes have been cited for violations in the past year, Romaine said those are public records available through Freedom of Information request. However, he said, that data may include cases that have already been resolved.

Earlier this year, Romaine pledged more resources would be devoted to the town's Law Department to fight the problem of illegal rooming houses throughout the town, such as the famously disruptive 150 Christian Ave. house.

Town Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld, who recently introduced a measure that redefined the term "family" within the town's housing code to make it tougher for landlords to rent homes to large groups of students, also said he was supportive of the Civic Association's suggestion to increase the penalties for housing code violations.

"I’d be willing to sponsor a law that has a rational basis," he said, "and I would ask the Law Department ... to examine what similar fees are being charged in other towns and cities on Long Island."

Ron DiBiase, president of the Civic Association, told Patch that the organization has not yet discussed specific dollar amounts for penalties, but that the organization "is hopeful the Town will be attentive to this ongoing systemic problem."