Glen Cove’s Code Enforcement Department Cracks Down on Illegal Housing

The Glen Cove Code Enforcement division has been on a roll since aligning with the police department two years ago.

Glen Cove Police Deputy Chief Chris Ortiz says the changes have been “remarkably effective.” The team has cracked down on sevearl illegal housing and crowding issues and other City violations over the past year.

Code Enforcement has achieved 28 illegal housing convictions and received a total of $73,000 in fines in the past year alone, Deputy City Attorney Kristina Heuser says.

Inspectors also issued notices of violations to 69 homes with 47 homeowners since January.

“Illegal housing is a major public safety issue and our approach is to not only go after the landlords but the tenants too,” Chris Grella, Code Enforcement/GCPD liaison said in a press release.

If a homeowner does not comply with the recommended home improvement, fines are issued or legal action is pursued.

Overcrowded homes are considered safety hazards, endanger residents, impact the quality of life for neighbors and lower the property values of surrounding homes.

Grella says possible signs of overcrowding or illegal housing situations include:

• A large number of people coming in and out of homes each day
• Street parking issues
• Bedrooms in the attic or cellar
• Padlocks on room doors
• A room’s electrical source comes from an extension cord

“We had an incident where a fire was started from an extension cord in the attic of a home where a tenant was living illegally, “ Grella said. “We were incredibly lucky that no one was hurt or injured and that the fire did not spread to surrounding homes. This situation was one that was completely preventable if the homeowner followed the law.”

Glen Cove residents are encouraged to call or email the City of Glen Cove’s Code Enforcement at codeenforcement@cityofglencoveny.org or by calling (516) 320-7869. The names of all callers are kept confidential and residents can also contact the department anonymously.

Image via City of Glen Cove