Self-Commissioned Illegal Housing Task Force Rounds Up Anecdotes From Firefighting Officials; No Connection To County Government
By Tina Traster
Referring to the study, a spokesperson from Rockland County said, “Although it has Rockland County in the name this entity is not at all affiliated with the County of Rockland.”
What exactly does it mean when the Town of Clarkstown says in both a Facebook post and via a town-wide text that the town’s “code enforcement efforts were recognized for their strong performance in a recent countywide review conducted by the Rockland County Illegal Housing Task Force”?
At first glance, it would appear the town has been lauded by a county-appointed task force to study code enforcement. That would be especially important in this pre-election moment when the town is facing uphill pressure over a lack of code enforcement on illegally occupied houses in every hamlet and unincorporated section of the town.
The issue recently came to light after a pre-dawn fire destroyed a house that is presumed to have been illegally occupied, according to officials. The incident kindled festering anger and resentment over a problem that scores of residents say is ignored. Across Facebook posts and in private conversations, residents of Clarkstown and the county at large, are talking about a scourge that has engulfed the county. Houses are purchased, rented illegally, sometimes carved up physically, and typically filled with laborers or undocumented people who rent rooms in houses that are zoned for single-family use.
In response to the rising temperature over illegal housing, Supervisor George Hoehmann, who is running a tough race against Democratic candidate Eugene Bondar, is trying to defend Clarkstown’s efforts to rout out illegal rentals.
The recent announcement, however, is hardly a legitimate endorsement of the job Clarkstown is doing when you look at who conducted the study and how it was collated.
Referring to the study, a spokesperson from Rockland County said, “Although it has Rockland County in the name this entity is not at all affiliated with the County of Rockland.”
In 2009, then-County Executive Scott Vanderhoff commissioned the Rockland County Illegal Housing Task Force to fight the impacts of illegal conversions. When County Executive Ed Day took office, he disassociated from the force, which is made up of former emergency and firefighting officials.
While the force loosely exists as a band of individuals, it is not specifically commissioned by a government organization, nor is it a nonprofit.
When Hoehmann says the town was “recognized” for its strong performance by the task force, he is referring to a report the task force compiled based on anecdotal comments from fire officials throughout Rockland County.
The report says, “We contacted senior fire department leaders in communities…The results of this informal survey were informative and provided additional insight into the effectiveness of code enforcement throughout the county.”
However, the report does not specifically recognize Clarkstown in any official way, nor does it highlight any community for code enforcement.
In its press release, the town writes: “The positive findings follow a major expansion of Clarkstown’s code enforcement efforts earlier this year,” referring to the study — but the study is somewhat general and superficial, rather than analytical and based on data.
Hoehmann added, “I am grateful our efforts have been validated by the recent code enforcement review conducted by the Rockland County Illegal Housing Task Force.”
The report summarizes anecdotal comments but does not include any empirical date or evidence.
In total, the task force summarized its findings in a paragraph or two from 23 fire departments, including Central Nyack Fire Department, Congers Fire Department, Nanuet Fire Department, New City Fire Department and Rockland Lake Fire Department. The survey included Spring Valley Fire Department: Village of Spring Valley and Town of Clarkstown.
Feedback from the Congers Fire Department, for example, was “The department reported that the Clarkstown Fire Inspectors Office and Building Department are excellent. The department stated that they look out for the fire department and are on top of problems are they arise.”
The Nanuet Fire Department entry said, “The department reported no problems with the Town of Clarkstown Inspectors.”
In New City, the entry said “The department reported that the Building Department does a good job and the Fire inspectors Office is on top of everything. The department stated that, when the fire department is slow to respond to an issue or project, the Fire Inspectors Office will follow up with the department. The department described the inspectors as excellent.”
In contrast, the Spring Valley Fire Department reported being “extremely dissatisfied with the Rockland County Building Codes Department, stating that it does not receive reports and that a meeting intended to discuss problems was cancelled.”
Nearly across the board – from Stony Point to Tappan, fire inspectors generally reported being pleased with inspectors. For example, the Blauvelt Fire Company said inspectors will not sign off on site or building plans unless fire department’s concerns have been addressed. However, the Suffern Fire Department reported that the number of illegally converted and occupied buildings increased significantly.
Overall, the summaries from each fire department were broad and offered little detail though the task force said the survey identified “recurring themes regarding the importance of adequately staffed, properly trained and independent code enforcement personnel. It also said it shed a light on the need for responsive municipal administration, effective legal enforcement, and appropriate judicial penalties.
There is little doubt Clarkstown is dealing with a tsunami of illegal rentals. Typically, investors buy houses and rent to contractors, who then rent rooms to workers. It’s not unusual to find 10 to 20 people living in these rentals – sometimes several to a room, including children.
Neighbors who identify these illegal rentals share a collective feeling of frustration and anger with the town, saying they are unable to get the town to respond either timely, or at all.
Although there is no quantitative data released by Clarkstown, Hoehmann has gone to great lengths to tout his administration’s crackdown on illegal rentals. In Jan. 2026, Clarkstown passed more stringent code enforcement laws, hired three building inspectors, and created the position of Deputy Town Attorney for Code Enforcement. The law also increased fines for first time and repeat enforcement violations. The Code Enforcement Hiring Act of 2026 also required one of the three hires to be fluent in Spanish.
