Rockland launches new crackdown on illegal
housing
Steve Lieberman and Alex Taylor 4:45 p.m. EDT April 30, 2015
The Rockland Health Department is cracking down on
substandard and illegal housing to improve safety for
residents and firefighters responding to emergencies.
(Photo:
Steve Lieberman/The Journal News)
SPRING VALLEY – The Rockland Health Department and other county agencies are launching
a new crackdown on the spread of substandard and illegal housing to improve safety for
residents and firefighters responding to emergencies
The Rockland Codes Initiative includes hiring more housing inspectors, heavier penalties against
landlords and an online reporting system where residents can file anonymous complaints when
they know of illegal dwellings.
Officials have also started an online "Worst Landlord Watch List" list in an effort to bring
anonymous L.L.C.s to the light of public scrutiny. The top five are posted now.
"We all know firefighting is dangerous enough," County Executive Ed Day said Thursday,
standing on the sidewalk in front of a dilapidated three-story home at 76 Fairview Ave., the first
property on the "worst landlord" list. "It should not be made more dangerous when property
owners motivated by greed illegally carve up apartments. We cannot allow a child or one of
Rockland County's bravest to die in a converted attic or hidden stairwell."
Officials said the 2,522-square-foot tan stucco home has racked up 19 violations. On five visits,
inspectors found faulty or inadequate sprinkler and alarm systems and emergency exits, as well
as possible illegal dwellings in the basement and third-story.
The property is managed by Yaniv Razak through Metallic Sunburst LLC. Razak could not be
reached for comment.
The crackdown reveals the extent to which illegal housing has transformed huge suburban
swaths in Rockland.
While towns and villages are supposed to enforce fire and zoning codes, there are widespread
concerns about landlords who illegally convert single-family homes, chopping them into small
rooms, and stuffing them with recent immigrants, many of them illegal.
"The driving force of this is money," Day said. "It's not unlike drug-dealing in the city."
Frustrated inspectors and fire officials warn that these illegal dwellings often lack emergency
exits — a huge fire hazard that could mean a disaster in an emergency.
The new initiative stems in part from a perceived lack of enforcement and less-than-stiff
penalties against absentee landlords in many town and village courts. Reports from the state have
singled out Ramapo and Spring Valley, in particular, for serious problems.
Penalties under the county initiative can reach $2,000 per day per violation. As part of the
crackdown, the county will also report landlords who are found to be taking rental payments in
cash to the IRS for possible tax evasion.
"The cost of doing business has gone up," Rockland Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel
Rubbert said.
One landlord, Clarel Jean, already has been slapped with $38,000 in fines by the Rockland Board
of Health for violations at 73 S. Madison Ave. in Spring Valley, she said. Another home at 57 S.
Madison — managed by Jonathan Weiss, who oversees many properties in Spring Valley — was
hit with a $2,200 fine.
The stepped-up enforcements will be conducted under the Rockland County sanitary code, which
allows the county's inspectors to issue summonses forcing repairs and bringing the landlord
before the Rockland Board of Health.
The Health Department can inspect properties without permission and also can review schools
with dormitories and kitchens, many of which face town and village violations in Ramapo.
The Health Department will get two more housing inspectors, bringing the number to four, plus
two new supervisors.
The additional inspectors, if approved by the Rockland Legislature, will get paid $46,000
annually with benefits. Day said the county also might hire retired police officers and firefighters
to supplement the efforts, as long as they earn less than $30,000 a year to comply with their
retirement plans.
Day said the enhanced inspection program will pay for itself through fines, penalties and
registration fees.
Rockland Illegal Housing Task Force chairman John Kryger said the more aggressive response is
what the fire services have been seeking and "reaffirms our goal of safety for the tenants and first
responders of this county." Rockland Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr.
also supported the move.
"I am encouraged by this giant step taken by the county," Kryger said. "It's just one piece in a
puzzle that includes the District Attorney's Office, the state codes division and the FBI, to name
a few."
Twitter: @lohudlegal
Elements of the Rockland Codes Initiative
■ Web-based complaint form for people to confidentially report suspected illegal housing or
unsafe conditions. The form will appear on the county government webstite at
http://rocklandgov.com/ and the Rockland Health Department site
http://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/ Or call the Health Department with complaints at
845-364-2585.
■ Rockland County "worst landlords" watch list of property owners operating the most
dangerous and dilapidated buildings with the most violations.
■ Multiple Dwelling Registry Law: Landlords must pay a fee and provide their names, addresses
and contact information, including for their building managers.