Code Crackdown Cites More Illegal Apartments

For the third time in the past four months, Town of Huntington code enforcement officers, in coordination with Suffolk County police, executed search warrants that uncovered four illegal apartments at two locations in Huntington Station, resulting in 11 summonses for Town Code infractions and six notices of violation of state codes.

At 215 Fifth Ave., the code enforcement officers found illegal apartments in the basement and on the second level. Summonses were issued for the two illegal apartments, as well as for an illegally finished basement, an illegal attic conversion, hazardous electrical wiring, improper storage of commercial vehicles and failure to register the apartments. Notices of violations were issued for missing smoke detectors, missing carbon monoxide detectors and interior door locks blocking exits. The code enforcement officers placed a hazardous conditions notice on the basement apartment.

At 26 Beverly Road, code enforcement officers found illegal apartments in the basement and over an attached garage. Four summonses were issued for the two illegal apartments, an illegally finished basement and a two-story addition with no certificate of occupancy. Notices of violation were issued for missing smoke detectors, missing carbon monoxide detectors and interior door locks blocking the exit. The code enforcement officers placed a hazardous conditions notice on the basement apartment.

The execution of these search warrants followed similar efforts in May and July at six locations, also in Huntington Station, that found a total of 14 illegal dwelling units at what were supposed to be single-family homes and resulted in the issuance of 25 summonses. These efforts are an outgrowth of the Code Enforcement Task Force that Supervisor Frank P. Petrone formed last fall as an outgrowth of the Huntington Station Action Coalition. The task force, which uses 40 percent of the Town of Huntington's code enforcement officers, has conducted 955 investigations since Oct. 1, issued 1,222 notices of violation and 324 summonses, not counting the ones stemming from the most recent search warrant executions. Of those investigations, 349 have been for illegal apartments, rooming houses and overcrowding.

In measures sponsored by Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, the town also recently strengthened Town Code to require landlords of Section 8 housing to register with the Town of Huntington and submit to inspections. The town also is in the process of increasing penalties for illegal or substandard apartments and, in measures sponsored by Petrone, is amending Town Code so summonses can be issued immediately for infractions that now require notices of violation of state code before a summons can be issued.

The town is also moving the Code Enforcement Task Force to a Community Outreach Center being opened at 5 Lowndes Ave. in Huntington Station and is opening a telephone hotline to accept information about possible code or other violations.