Riverhead’s town board has proposed a ban on renting to non-family members or groups with common interests.
The proposal would ban bedrooms in areas like basements — except in single-family houses — and would ban bedrooms in attics entirely.
The code would prohibit having more than two commercial automobiles on the driveway of a rental property.
Riverhead’s senior code enforcement investigator, Richard Downs, said in a public hearing on Tuesday that rental properties must change to prevent substandard living conditions.
“Substandard rental properties tend to promote and encourage deterioration of the housing stock in the town,” Downs said. “[This] creates blight and often excessive vehicle traffic and parking problems, not to mention in some cases overburden on municipal services.”
Ian Wilder, an advocate for Long Island Housing, opposes the regulations and said they will disproportionately hurt immigrants.
“They don't necessarily fall within this functional equivalent, which also does not affect anybody's health or safety,” Wilder said.
Proponents say the regulation will protect renters from predatory landlords.
