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

Town Code § 270-9I requires the owner, person, managing agent or designee responsible for a rental property's maintenance, rent collection or operation to "ensure that all property maintenance regulations provided for in Chapter 261 of the Code of the Town of Southampton are satisfied." This ties the separate Property Maintenance chapter's habitability requirements, structural soundness, sanitation, working utilities and the like, directly into the rental licensing scheme rather than leaving them as a standalone code. Because § 270-6 conditions permit issuance on the enforcement authority being satisfied that the property complies with the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the Town Code generally, an existing Chapter 261 violation can block a new or renewal rental permit outright.

The enforcement authority, designated under § 270-1 as the Chief Building Inspector, the Public Safety and Emergency Management Administrator, the Chief Fire Marshal, or the Town Attorney's Investigation Unit, and other Town personnel, is authorized under § 270-10 to inspect rental properties to safeguard health, safety and welfare, entering with the consent of the responsible party if unoccupied or the occupant if occupied. Where an owner refuses entry and there is reasonable cause to believe a violation exists, § 270-11 authorizes the enforcement authority to apply for a search warrant under New York law.

If a permit holder causes or allows a Town Code violation, including a Chapter 261 maintenance violation, to remain uncorrected for 14 days or more after written notice, § 270-12A requires the enforcement authority to revoke the rental permit, cutting off the owner's ability to lawfully rent the unit until the violation is cured and a new permit obtained.