On Long Island, the Town of Brookhaven will require owners of abandoned or foreclosed homes to register with the town starting next year.
The so-called zombie houses have become blighted across Long Island. Towns usually have to spend their own money to clean, board or demolish these homes.
Brookhaven will require mortgage lenders to provide contact information on the addresses after the owners default. The lenders will also be required to pay $200 to register the home, and will need to re-register every six months.
A similar law was established in 2016 in Babylon as a response to complaints from residents about abandoned homes with uncut grass and squatters moving in.
