Brookhaven, NY Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

L. No. 1 of the Zoning Code. Section 82-1 explains the Town Board found that non-owner-occupied rentals were falling into substandard, overcrowded and dangerous condition, but it also recognizes owner-occupied homes can fall into disrepair, so the maintenance duties in § 82-3 bind every owner, not only landlords. Under § 82-3F, dwellings, structures and accessory structures must be kept free of conditions detrimental to safety or health. Subsection H requires adequate sanitary methods for garbage, refuse and sewage disposal meeting Suffolk County Health Department standards, and Subsection I requires floors, walls, ceilings and fixtures to stay clean and sanitary.

Subsections J through L address life-safety layout: no locked or barred internal partitions segregating parts of a dwelling, no interior key locks or deadbolts on bedroom doors, and no bedroom may serve as the sole access to another bedroom or as the only means of egress from another habitable space. The Chief Building Inspector, defined broadly as 'Code Enforcement Officer' under § 82-2 to include Building, Fire Marshal and Police personnel, enforces the chapter under § 82-13, and may apply for a search warrant under § 82-9 if an owner refuses a requested rental inspection.